Jason Aldean Cancels Shows to ‘Mourn the Ones We Have Lost’

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/03/arts/music/jason-aldean-vegas-shooting.html

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Jason Aldean, the country music singer who was onstage when bullets rained down on concertgoers in Las Vegas on Sunday night, has canceled his tour dates for this weekend.

“I feel like out of respect for the victims, their families and our fans, it is the right thing to do,” Mr. Aldean said in a statement on Tuesday.

“It has been an emotional time for everyone involved this week, so we plan to take some time to mourn the ones we have lost and be close with our family and friends,” he said. Mr. Aldean was the final act of the three-day Route 91 Harvest Festival, which ended in bloodshed.

The cancellations will affect three shows on Mr. Aldean’s “They Don’t Know” tour, all in Southern California. The tour is expected to resume on Oct. 12 in Tulsa, Okla.

“Our first time back onstage will be a very tough and emotional thing for us, but we will all get through it together and honor the people we lost by doing the only thing we know how to do — play our songs for them,” the statement said.

The Las Vegas attack, which killed at least 59 people and injured more than 500 others, was one of deadliest mass shootings in United States history. Online video showed Mr. Aldean’s performance interrupted by gunfire. He then ran offstage.

On Monday, in an Instagram post, Mr. Aldean called the attack “beyond horrific.”

“It hurts my heart that this would happen to anyone who was just coming out to enjoy what should have been a fun night,” he wrote.

On Tuesday, still grappling with the tragedy, he said he was scared, angry and heartbroken.

“This world is becoming the kind of place I am afraid to raise my children in,” he wrote on Twitter. “I am so sorry for the hurt and pain everyone is feeling right now and there are no words I can say to take that pain away.”

“Time to come together and stop the hate,” he said.