Raucous and heartfelt, benefit show remembers Station victims

Twisted Sister - including (from left) Eddie Fingers Ojeda, Dee Snider, and A.J. Pero - performing Monday night in Providence. (ROBERT E. KLEIN FOR THE BOSTON GLOBE)

PROVIDENCE - It's not easy to preside over an event that's both a sober commemoration of lives lost and a raucous hair-metal party. Dee Snider, of all people, was the host with the most at Monday's concert to benefit the Station Family Fund, which supports survivors of the nightclub fire that claimed the lives of a hundred fans attending a Great White concert in West Warwick five years ago, and left many more in ongoing treatment and rehabilitation.

The effusive Twisted Sister frontman brought heart, humor, and an irrepressible sense of humanity to the four-hour show, which was filmed by a VH1 crew and will be broadcast as "Aftermath: The Station Fire Fives Years Later" on Easter Sunday.

Snider's running commentary, as well as video clips of interviews with artists and survivors, filled the occasionally lengthy gaps between musical sets. "Tonight is the night," Snider shouted, alluding to the VH1 cameras, "that we let the world know that the victims of the Station fire have not been forgotten. . . . The music industry has to help its fans. We have to take care of our own."

Some artists clearly took more care than others choosing their songs. Among the resonant selections: Tesla's galvanizing power ballad "What You Give," Staind's "It's Been a While" (which frontman Aaron Lewis delivered in a powerfully stark acoustic performance), Stryper's overtly inspirational anthem "Reach Out," and Dierks Bentley's country-gospel tune "Long Trip Alone."

Bentley was part of the Nashville contingent that flew up for the day at the behest of Snider, who explained the uncommon bundling of country and hard-rock acts by proclaiming: "This is not a hair-metal problem. This is a people problem."

Accordingly, in addition to Great White's '80s-rock brethren - Twisted Sister, Stryper, Tesla, and a fabulously rejuvenated Winger - Snider reached across the musical aisle to enlist appearances from "redneck woman" Gretchen Wilson and John Rich of the duo Big & Rich. Scheduled performers Kellie Pickler and Alabama's Randy Owen were no-shows. The country trio performed in a thigh-slapping song circle highlighted by Wilson's decidedly untwangy but genuinely roof-raising cover of Heart's "Straight On."

Fleshing out the lineup further was flamboyant percussionist Carmine Appice, who orchestrated a sprawling drum fest; former Mr. Big vocalist Eric Martin, who led the half-full arena in a rousing singalong of the radio hit "To Be With You"; and a surprising resurrection of "25 or 6 to 4" from original Chicago drummer Danny Seraphine and his new band, CTA. Tom Scholz and Gary Pihl joined Stryper for a ragged if heartfelt version of Boston's "Peace of Mind."

Twisted Sister closed down the show with "We're Not Gonna Take It," which Snider described as the event's unofficial anthem. "You guys are strong. With virtually no help from anybody, you have taken care of your own. You are defiant. And these people will not go quietly into the night!" the singer bellowed before his band launched into its signature anthem. They were joined on the final refrain by all of the night's performers, the event's organizers, and a handful of beneficiaries - including one disfigured burn victim who sang through his bandages with all his might.

Joan Anderman can be reached at anderman@globe.com. Fore more on music visit boston.com/ae/music/blog.