Big and Rich's John Rich photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Nashville.
January 24, 2008 — A fire in a Rhode Island nightclub shocked the nation in 2003, and five years later, many victims and their families still find their lives torn apart from the disaster.
John Rich was invited by a member of Twisted Sister to round up a country component for a benefit concert, and he came through big-time, bringing Gretchen Wilson, Dierks Bentley, Randy Owen and Kellie Pickler to the Phoenix Rising! concert, slated for Feb. 25 at the Dunkin' Donuts Center in Providence, R.I.
"All of my friends in country music responded immediately with yes," John says. "No matter what music you play or listen to, we are all one family, and we need to help each other out especially in time of need."
John's duo, Big & Rich, has broken down all kinds of stylistic barriers, so it's appropriate that the night's lineup covers a lot of musical ground. The show features such hard-rockers as Twisted Sister, Stryper, Tesla and Aaron Lewis, of Staind. Also on the bill are members of classic rock's Boston and the pop acts Chicago and Mr. Big.