Great White to Give Benefit Concert

<br>BAY CITY, Mich. (AP) _ Great White, the band whose pyrotechnic display set off a deadly blaze at a Rhode Island nightclub, will perform a benefit concert. <br><br>Profits from the Sept. 8 concert,

Tuesday, September 2nd 2003, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

BAY CITY, Mich. (AP) _ Great White, the band whose pyrotechnic display set off a deadly blaze at a Rhode Island nightclub, will perform a benefit concert.

Profits from the Sept. 8 concert, to be held at the Westown nightclub in Bay City's Midland Street Historic District, are earmarked for victims of the Feb. 20 fire and their families.

Since July, Great White has held nine concerts that have raised about $25,000 for victims and survivors of the fire.

The blaze killed 100 people, including four club employees and Great White guitarist Ty Longley, and injured nearly 200 others.

``Initially, I think the same thought crossed everybody's mind _ `Oh, boy! How could you do that and book them?``' said Jay Samborn of Knights Entertainment Agency in Bay City, who booked Great White for its first appearance at the Westown since 1997. ``But on the other hand, they were trying to have something positive come out of something very negative.''

Besides profits from the tour, 100 percent of the proceeds from sales of a memorial T-shirt and 10 percent of the promoter's and artists' merchandise revenues will go to the fund.