Almost precisely one yr in the past, on October 1, 2017, a gunman opened hearth on the Route 91 Harvest music pageant crowd in Las Vegas, killing 58 individuals and injuring 851 — the deadliest mass taking pictures by a person ever within the U.S. Jason Aldean, who was onstage on the nation live performance when gunshots broke out, was again in Vegas on Friday night time (Sept. 21) to carry out on the iHeartRadio Music Festival and to pay his respects to the victims and first responders on the scene that day.
Before his set, Aldean joined Nashville radio host Bobby Bones to welcome dozens of Vegas law enforcement officials, firefighters and EMTs to the stage, and the T-Mobile Arena crowd erupted in applause and cheers for the hometown heroes. One viewers member even began a “USA!” chant that reverberated via the gang as much as the stage.
It was an emotional second, one which prolonged backstage when Aldean was in a position to meet Route 91 survivor Melissa Wall.
We are #VegasStrong â¤ï¸#iHeartFestival@Jason_Aldean pic.twitter.com/upFT0eL5lv
— iHeartRadio Festival (@iHeartFestival) September 22, 2018
Before the tribute, Aldean spoke with reporters backstage and expressed blended feelings about being again one yr later.
“Being again in Vegas this near the anniversary of it’s, at occasions, somewhat bizarre,” Aldean admitted to reporters backstage earlier within the night time. “In one other sense, it is good to be again. This is de facto our first efficiency we have had right here since then. Tonight goes to be one other step in getting via all that stuff.”
While that is Aldean’s first correct live performance in Vegas since October 2017, he did return to the desert in April for the 2018 Academy of Country Music Awards.
During his set, Aldean stored issues in social gathering mode to have fun town and its #VegasRobust mantra, performing upbeat hits like “She’s Country” and “Dirt Road Anthem.”
