On Mon, Jan 28, 2013 at 10:58 AM, Ken Norton <ken@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
> I've done quite a few acoustical control projects through the years
> and know that the vast majority of nightclub venues are anything but
> safe. This is a GLOBAL problem. I can go into rant mode on this, but
> just consider this:
>
> Case in point - the club where Great White was playing several years ago
when their pyro set the ceiling on fire. Improper materials, pyro being
set off where it had no business being, inadequate exits... Pretty much
all the details are here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Station_nightclub_fire
> More nightclubs than not are owned and/or operated by people who have
> no problem with operating outside the law. Fire code violations are
> mostly addressed not by fixing the problem but by "fixing" the
> problem. Instead of spending $30,000 for proper fire-resistant
> acoustical treatment, they spend $5,000 and pay off the inspector
> $5,000 to make it go away.
>
> Exactly. A slightly different case was the E2 club in Chicago - wasn't
fire, but a mess of building and fire-code violations that ended up in
death: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2003_E2_nightclub_stampede
>
> The heavy curtains used for venues and stages is chemically treated.
> The old wool curtains were naturally fire-retardant, but modern
> synthetics aren't. These are chemically treated. Again, just like the
> sugar cube, it only takes an accumulation of matter in the fabric to
> defeat it.
>
> And it's not just little clubs. My wife and I were at a performance of an
Asian acrobat troupe at a local 3000-seater. One of their set pieces was
up high enough that it touched a lighting instrument and caught fire.
That's shouldn't have been that big of a deal, since it was a pretty small
piece. But then it caught the act curtain on fire. At first, we thought,
"Huh. Smoke effects!" and then we saw the flames. Within minutes, the
entire curtain on house right as well as the teaser across the top were on
fire. The fire suppression sprinklers did go off and extinguish the fire,
and fortunately the room was large with multiple exits at the back. But I
have to wonder - were they simply behind on their curtain inspections? Did
they skip a retardant treatment? Or was it, as Ken mentioned, simply that
the curtains had been hanging there for 20 years and were full of flammable
gunk?
>
> I'm sure Paul will pipe in here with further comment as he also works
> the music/entertainment industry, but generally speaking, there is a
> difference in ways facilities are acoustically treated and how
> management looks upon safety precautions. In a show like RED's, in a
> facility like this, there is a maximum amount of duty cycle for the
> flames. I shot a lot of pictures to get just one or two that had all
> the units lit up at once. It's the roman candle style fireworks which
> are generally the most dangerous.
>
>
Great White used spark fountains, set to fire to 15'. In a small rock
club, that's just not smart. I've seen shows with big pyro, such as "Ka"
by Cirque de Soleil in Vegas and Roger Waters' recent tour of "The Wall".
Done properly, done smartly, under control. Although I did catch the
beginning of a possible disaster during the Pittsburgh performance of "The
Wall" - the major wall of pyro during the opening caught one of the large,
white cardboard "bricks" on fire at one end of the wall. The techs were
right on top of it and had it pulled back and extinguished almost
immediately before it could ignite any surrounding bricks.
> In my experience, I've been in places that I instantly knew were
> fire-traps. I either have immediately turned around and walked out or
> requested a seat in a place with a quick and easy exit. In more than
> one occasion, that place was later destroyed by fire. Some places you
> just "know" aren't right. It's also a pretty safe bet that if the
> ceiling doesn't look safe, chances are the ice machine isn't safe.
>
>
At this point, I tend to avoid old, cramped, dive-y rock clubs all
together.
--
Paul Braun
Music Junkie
"Music washes from the soul the dust of everyday life." -- Harlan Howard
--
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