Jason Aldean Found Healing While Performing Three Shows in Las Vegas

When Jason Aldean returned to Las Vegas to perform three shows at the Park Theater, it marked the first time he headlined his own show since the tragic Route 91 Harvest Festival, which took place while Aldean was on stage, and left 58 people dead and hundreds wounded. The “We Back” singer knew it would be emotional returning to Las Vegas, but in hindsight knows it was what he, his band and crew, and other survivors needed to heal.

“We’ve had these [dates] earmarked on the calendar for a long time,” Aldean said on the Ty Bentli Show (via Nash Country Daily). “It had been a couple of years, obliviously, since we’ve been out here to play a show. This just kind of seemed like the right time to come back and do a couple shows. It was a little bit smaller venue, so it was a little more intimate for fans. We knew there was gonna be a lot of people here from Route 91—and there was.

“It was a really cool few days, and I think it was something that was kind of a healing process for a lot of people, something that kinda closed the book for a lot of people, I think,” he added. “It was really cool to come out here and experience it for the last few days.”

He shared a video on social media of a man in a wheelchair being hoisted above the crowd during his show. Aldean, who at the time cited it as one of the “coolest things” he had ever seen, explained why that moment was so important to him.

“It’s pretty wild when you see the video,” Aldean noted. “The thing that a lot of people don’t realize is the song that I was playing [when the shooting began] was ‘Any Ol’ Barstool’ . . . so that was the song we were playing [on Dec. 6]. All of the sudden, this guy’s in a wheelchair, and the crowd just kind of lifts him up.”

“You have to see the video,” he continued. “I’ve played what seems like a million shows over the years, and that’ll be one of those things that I never forget was that moment, that night.”

Aldean’s wife, Brittany Aldean, also opened up about the emotional return to Las Vegas on Instagram.

“Last night was so special… and emotional,” she wrote on Instagram. “We’re with you, we cry with you and celebrate life with you! We can’t wait for the next two nights here in Vegas!!”

Photo Credit: Getty / Terry Wyatt