It’s going to be an emotional night in Las Vegas as country music fans and artists will be reunited en masse for the first time since the Route 91 Harvest Festival tragedy that killed 58 and wounded more than 850 attendees.
The artists attending Sunday night’s Academy of Country Music Awards in Las Vegas will be honoring the victims of the shooting with gold pins. There will be three separate pins with numbers 851, 58 and 1, representing the total number injured, the number that died, and the number representing unity.
Several artists and industry professionals have taken to social media to discuss the pins. Publicist Megan Newton shared an explanation of the gold pins in a Tweet saying, “Tonight on the #ACMAwards, you’ll see artists wearing these numbers on gold pins. 851 injured. 58 gone. Chance to spark educational conversation to save even 1 life. Every single night, in every single town. #fansfirst.”
https://twitter.com/_megannewton/status/985566879229104130
Perhaps one of the most touching posts came from Hayley Hubbard, wife of Florida Georgia Line singer Tyler Hubbard, who wrote:
“Tyler and I had an impromptu moment of silence the moment we stepped in our room and saw the eerie empty parking lot right outside our window. We prayed for everyone that had to endure the horror of that awful night, for our children and their children- that they never have to experience anything like this in their lifetime, and that there is resolution soon. We wear these pins tonight at @acmawardsto tell the world we have not forgotten you.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/BhmrHE2h4i0/?taken-by=hayley_hubbard
All eyes will be on Las Vegas tonight (April 15) and while it will be a time of mourning, it will also be a time of healing for fans and artists alike. The Academy of Country Music Awards will air on CBS at 8 PM EST.