Jason Aldean was ready to kick up his cowboy boots and let loose. “The reason you come to Vegas is to have a good time, throw and party a little bit, so that’s why we’re here,” the country singer said during a Facebook Live video on Sunday, October 1, ahead of a mass shooting during his set. “We’re looking forward to it being a good night for sure.”
Hours later, a gunman opened fire, killing more than 50 people and injuring more than 400 at the final night of the Route 91 Harvest Festival where Aldean was the headliner.
But before the show, Aldean was just focused on the crowd that was heard cheering in the background. “We try to go out every night, and we try to give everybody what they paid for. And they may only catch one show a year and it may be this one,” he said. “So you want to make sure that every show you try to go out and turn it up a notch and just give it everything you got got.”
Aldean and his band were performing one of the last songs of their set when the gunman shot multiple rounds into the crowd at around 10 p.m. Video shows the 40-year-old musician being rushed off the stage.
Police responded to the incident and confronted the suspect, 64-year-old Stephen Paddock, on the 32nd floor of Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino. His suspected companion, Marilou Danley, 62, is no longer a person of interest, the Associated Press reported on Monday, October 2.
Aldean took to Instagram early Monday morning to let fans know that he and his crew are safe. “Tonight has been beyond horrific,” Aldean began. “My thoughts and prayers go out to everyone involved tonight. It hurts my heart that this would happen to anyone who was just coming out to enjoy what would have been a fun night.”
Aldean’s wife, Brittany, who is expecting a baby boy in November, wrote on Instagram: “We are safe . . . our angels were definitely watching over us tonight. No words for what happened . . . Just horrific. Praying for everyone.”
For those looking to locate missing loved ones, authorities advise calling 1-866-535-5654.
