On Thursday,
Jason Aldean returned to the stage for his They Don’t Know Tour in
Tulsa, Oklahoma, following the horrific Las Vegas shooting at the Route 91
Harvest Festival on October 1. Aldean didn’t waste time addressing the
horrifying tragedy that claimed the lives of at least 58 people and injured
more than 500 during his set in Vegas. He told his Oklahoma crowd that he came
there to play for them and those who were not able to see the show.
“I want to
play the show for you guys that the people in Las Vegas came to see and didn’t
get a chance to,” the 40-year-old crooner said.
Aldean added that
he wished that it didn’t take tragedy to bring people together.
READ: Jason Aldean Returns To Las Vegas One Week After Mass Shooting
“This
country can be really divided – that’s really unfortunate to see. It’s been
cool to see all of the love and support that’s been going on for the last 10
days. If we could do that on a daily basis the world would be a better place.”
“The one
thing I’ve tried to do for the last 13 years or so was go out every night and
make sure the people that came out to the shows got a chance to forget about
their daily problems. They got a chance to come out for a few hours, have some
fun, drink a few beers, let loose, sing some songs. And so what I want to do
tonight, I don’t want this to be something that’s going to be a downer for the
rest of the night. I want to play this show for you guys. That the people in
Las Vegas came to see and didn’t get a chance to.”
After each
sentence, fans of the country music superstar roared and applauded in agreement
with his words.
WATCH: Jason Aldean Opens ‘SNL’ With Emotional Las Vegas Tribute & Tom Petty Performance
“They’re
going to try to hold us down… make us live in fear and be scared. To those
people I say: f**k you, we really don’t care.”
On Sunday, Aldean
visited the Las Vegas stage where the shooting happened and shared an Instagram
post about his visit. He and his wife, Brittany Aldean, have been reeling from
the tragedy and have both shared their thoughts on their social media accounts.
— Kevin Zelman
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