Jason Aldean, Wife Return To Las Vegas A Week After Tragedy To Visit Shooting Victims At Hospital
Country music singer Jason Aldean and his wife Brittany Kerr returned to Las Vegas on Sunday, exactly a week after the horrific Oct. 1 mass shooting that killed 58 and injured hundreds of concertgoers at the Route 91 Harvest festival.
Aldean was performing at the outdoor country music event when Stephen Paddock opened fire from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino down at the crowd of more than 22,000 festival attendees.
On Sunday, Aldean and his pregnant wife Brittany returned to Vegas and spent time with shooting victims at the University Medical Center of Southern Nevada. Kerr shared a photo from the visit and described what she and her husband were going through.
“Feels surreal being back in Vegas today.”
In the photo, Jason and Brittany have their arms around each other as they look up at the Mandalay Bay. The couple are expecting a baby boy later this year.
“Visiting some of the strongest people we have ever met… fighting the toughest battle of them all… for their lives,” Brittany wrote.
“You have helped us try to begin the healing process by seeing the strength each one of you have. Thank you for today. We will never forget.”
The University Medical Center of Southern Nevada confirmed that Aldean had been at the hospital with a Facebook post.
“Our extreme gratitude to Country Music Star Jason Aldean for visiting UMC today. Jason spent time with our patients who were critically injured during the Las Vegas shooting. His visit helped heal hearts and cheer those who were wounded in this tragedy.”
https://www.facebook.com/UMCSN/photos/a.10150165724995599.430848.190500765598/10159597777740599/?type=3
The night before Jason and Brittany Aldean flew to Las Vegas, the country music star made a surprise appearance on Saturday Night Live, where he opened the episode with a tribute to the victims of the Las Vegas shooting massacre and to the late music icon Tom Petty. He sang Petty’s hit “I Won’t Back Down” and said that he is still “struggling to understand” what happened on the night of Oct. 1.
According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Aldean turned down an invitation to sing at UFC 216, where the Vegas shooting victims and first responders would be honored. Instead, the country music singer chose to appear on SNL.
TMZ reported that UFC president Dana White was furious over the perceived snub, telling the outlet that Jason Aldean chose his image over the shooting victims who were in attendance at the UFC event.
Jason Aldean pays a hospital visit to Las Vegas shooting victims including Zack Mesker from San Marcos Ca. and his GF Lauren. @CBSNews pic.twitter.com/i3tg45e7k4
— M Escovedo (@DeskEight) October 8, 2017
Following the Las Vegas massacre, Aldean and his team announced that he had canceled several scheduled concerts. The singer said that he and his crew would be taking some time to mourn the victims of the mass shooting and to spend time with their family and friends. The singer’s They Don’t Know tour will resume on Thursday, Oct. 12, at the BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
[Featured Image by Rick Diamond/Getty Images for ACM]
