On the evening of October 1st, 2017, during country star Jason Aldean‘s closing set at Route 91 Harvest Festival in Las Vegas, a gunman opened fire on the crowd gathered on the Strip from the window of an overlooking casino hotel. He continued to fire for roughly an hour as the festival’s audience scrambled for cover. By the time authorities found him dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, he had murdered 58 people and injured more than 800 others, making it the most devastating mass shooting in modern American history.
This shattering act of violence hit particularly close to home for music fans. We go to concerts and festivals to escape, to let our guards down, have fun, and experience the joys of live music surrounded by like-minded people. Such a savage attack on a captive, wholly unprepared music festival audience is difficult to even think about without a pit of dread forming in your stomach. It could have been any of us. Any of those thousands of people scrambling for their lives as their friends were picked off all around them could have been you.
The outpouring of support in the wake of this tragic shooting matched the universal emotional wreckage it left in its wake. In the months that followed, people from all over banded together to support the countless people whose lives were lost or affected by the Las Vegas shooting. What began as a GoFundMe campaign quickly ballooned into a full-blown nonprofit organization, The Las Vegas Victims Fund, and eventually pulled in more than $31M in donations to the victims and their families.
Today, on the anniversary of the attack, a sunrise remembrance of those lost was held in Las Vegas at the Clark County Government Center Amphitheater. The perpetually-glowing marquees of the Las Vegas strip will also go dark tonight in remembrance of those lost last year. You can watch a clip from today’s memorial below:
Las Vegas Shooting Victims Remembered On One-Year Anniversary
[Video: CBS]
The weekend after the attack during his performance in Las Vegas, Jason Aldean appeared on Saturday Night Live to offer his condolences and support to all those affected. The singer wore his emotions on his sleeve, stoically yet sincerely addressing the millions watching:
This week we witnessed one of the worst tragedies in American history. Like everyone, I’m struggling to understand what happened that night and how to pick up the pieces and start to heal. So many people are hurting, and they’re our children, parents, brothers, sisters, friends. They’re all part of our family. I want to say to them, we hurt for you and we hurt with you. You can be sure we’re going to walk through these tough times together, every step of the way. Because when America is at its best, our bond and our spirit, it’s unbreakable.
Aldean then performed an appropriate tribute: a rendition of the defiant anthem “I Won’t Back Down” by Tom Petty, who passed away the day after the Las Vegas shooting. You can watch Jason Aldean’s statement on SNL and his Tom Petty tribute to the Las Vegas shooting victims below:
Jason Aldean – “I Won’t Back Down” [Tom Petty cover]
[Video: USA TODAY]
Jason Aldean Speaks About The Las Vegas Shooting
[Video: Cal Vid]
Of course, while the sentiments from Aldean’s statement were heartfelt, a year removed from the horrifying incident we’re all painfully aware that things haven’t exactly gotten better. Massacres of innocent people have continued consistently. While the outrage over our country’s apparent affinity for violence and the instruments with which it’s waged has gotten louder and louder, no significant legislative action has been taken to actually attempt to prevent it.
Wherever you fall on the issue of gun control—or any issue at all—it’s of the utmost importance you vote in the upcoming Midterm Elections on Tuesday, November 6th. With our country as divided as it’s ever been, it’s imperative for each and every person to make their opinions heard by voting for the candidates that represent their position. Your voice—or your silence—could legitimately be what tips the scale in one direction or another.
For more information on polling places for the upcoming elections, or to learn how you can get more involved in the political process, head to HeadCount.
The post One Year Ago Today, Our Worst Nightmares Became A Reality At A Las Vegas Music Festival appeared first on L4LM.
