Jason Aldean was on stage when the shooting began at the Route 91 Harvest Festival, and he hasn’t forgotten it. On social media, Aldean opens up about the pain of reliving the tragedy.
A gunman killed 58 people when he opened fire from a hotel across the street from the Route 91 Harvest Festival in Las Vegas. The Oct. 1, 2017 shooting also left hundreds wounded and mentally scarred thousands more, including the many artists who were on site at the time. Wife Brittany Aldean took to social media earlier on Thursday (Oct. 1). The singer opened up in the afternoon.
“Hard to believe it’s been 3 years since Route 91,” Jason Aldean begins. “That night was probably the worst night of our lives and not a day goes by that we don’t think about the people who lost their lives and the families who have forever been affected by it. October 1st will always be a day for us that is extremely hard to relive. To everyone in the Route 91 family, we love u guys and we couldn’t have gotten through it without you.”
About a week after the shooting, the Aldeans went back to Las Vegas to visit some of the victims who were hospitalized. On Instagram Stories, Brittany says that was “the hardest trip we ever made.” She was pregnant with her son, Memphis, when the massacre occurred.
“I hate that she was there to have to experience it,” the singer said at the time of his wife. “On the other hand, I know if she was at home and saw it on the news she would’ve freaked out — and I don’t know what would’ve been worse.”
On Sept. 30, 2020 — one day ahead of the third anniversary of the shooting — a judge approved an $800 million settlement to end a class action lawsuit from more than 4,000 of the tragedy’s victims and their families. A portion of the settlement will come from the Mandalay Bay, but the majority — more than $750 million — will come from liability insurance. Two retired judges agreed upon by both sides will decide how the money is dispersed.