Tragedy struck the country music community on October 1, 2017 when a gunman opened fire at the concert goers of the Route 91 Harvest Music Festival in Las Vegas, Nevada leaving 58 dead and 851 injured.
The mass shooting began as festival headliner Jason Aldean was performing, the country singer recently returning to Vegas to reunite with festival survivors ahead of the 2018 ACM Awards. In an appearance on The Ellen Show, Aldean opened up on the night that changed his life forever and the inspiration he’s drawn from the strength of the survivors.
”So when it started, I was on stage and my ear monitors that we wear it sounded just like a guitar amp, you know something that just was crappin’ out and I didn’t really know what it was,” shared Aldean. ”It took me awhile to realize [what was happening] and it took me ’til we were even off stage.”
During his weekend stay in Las Vegas for the ACM Awards the country singer met with survivors of the music festival, Aldean sharing that their strength has inspired him.
”It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do,” he admitted. ”But to me seeing them and the strength and happiness they have just to be alive it has helped me see it in a different light…If these people can come back from it and have that sort of attitude, I have nothin’ to be whining about.”
You can watch the full interview below.