Brittany Aldean Remembers Her ‘Route 91 Family’ On Third Anniversary of Mass Shooting
“We are forever bonded,” she writes.
Three years have passed since a gunman opened fire on the crowd at the Route 91 Harvest Festival in Las Vegas, killing 58 people and wounding hundreds of others. Though time has gone by, the tragic memories from that day still linger, especially with those who witnessed the horrific scene unfold.
Country superstar Jason Aldean was on stage at the time the gunman began firing shots into the crowd and his wife, Brittany, who was pregnant with their son Memphis, was watching his set from the side of the stage. That horrific scene will live with the couple forever.
Today, on the third anniversary of the shooting, Brittany took to Instagram to pay tribute to the victims and their “Route 91 family” with an emotional post looking back on one of the darkest days in recent history.
“On one hand it seems like an eternity ago, a nightmare you try to forget. On the other hand it’s vividness makes it seem like it was yesterday,” Brittany’s emotional post began. “3 years ago… I was 8 months pregnant (had Memphis 2 months to the day from the shooting) and my husband was prepping like any other day to entertain thousands of fans. I used to live in Vegas so I had a bunch of friends at the show… little did we know our lives would change forever.
“The sound, the chaos, the overwhelming sadness and heartache… it’s something that never leaves you,” she continued. “They call us the ‘Route 91 Family’ in my opinion because we are forever bonded. An experience that thankfully only certain people know. We have LOVED meeting so many of you who were effected on this day, years ago. Our hearts still break for the families who lost a loved one💔 We are thinking of each and every one of you today, and everyday… and to the men and women who ran towards the bullets to protect all of us… WE ARE FOREVER GRATEFUL🖤”
In the days after the shooting, Jason and Brittany returned to Las Vegas to visit a number of victims at the University Medical Center of Southern Nevada. He also paid tribute to them by performing “I Won’t Back Down” by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers on Saturday Night Live just days after the shooting.
The Route 91 Harvest Festival shooting is the deadliest mass shooting in modern US history.
Lauren Jo Black, a University of Central Florida graduate, has immersed herself in the world of country music for over 15 years. In 2008, she co-founded CountryMusicIsLove, eventually selling it to a major record label in 2015. Following the rebranding of the website to Sounds Like Nashville, Black served as Editor-in-Chief for two and a half years. Currently, she assumes the role of Editor-in-Chief at Country Now and oversees Country Now’s content and digital footprint. Her extensive experience also encompasses her previous role as a Country Music Expert Writer for Answers.com and her work being featured on Forbes.com. She’s been spotlighted among Country Aircheck’s Women of Influence and received the 2012 Rising Star Award from the University of Central Florida. Black also spent time in front of the camera as host of Country Now Live, which brought live music directly to fans in 2021 when the majority of concerts were halted due to the pandemic. During this time, she hosted 24 weeks of live concerts via Country Now Live on Twitch with special guests such as Lady A, Dierks Bentley, Jordan Davis, Brett Young, and Jon Pardi. Over the course of her career, she has had the privilege of conducting interviews with some of the industry’s most prominent stars, including Reba McEntire, Blake Shelton, Luke Combs, Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, Miranda Lambert, Lainey Wilson, and many others. Lauren Jo Black is a longtime member of the Country Music Association and the Academy of Country Music.
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