Jason Aldean Plays First Concert Since Las Vegas Shooting
#VegasStrong pic.twitter.com/KidqTcEEXk— BOK Center (@BOKCenter) October 13, 2017 Jason Aldean [...]
#VegasStrong pic.twitter.com/KidqTcEEXk
— BOK Center (@BOKCenter) October 13, 2017
Jason Aldean played his first show since the domestic terror attack in Las Vegas on Thursday evening in Tulsa.
The country superstar, who was on-stage when the shooting occurred, opened his set with three songs before addressing the crowd about the incident.
"These people are going to continue to try to hold us down; to those people that keep trying to do that, I say f--k you, we don't really care," Aldean said. "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."
More: Jason Aldean and Wife Brittany Return to Las Vegas After Shooting
Aldean was a headlining act for the Route 91 Harvest Music Festival when Stephen Paddock opened fire on the crowd from his suite at the Mandalay Bay. The incident left 58 victims and over 500 wounded before Paddock turned the gun on himself.
In the time since the tragedy, Aldean played a Tom Petty song on Saturday Night Live, as well as making visit to the victims at the University Medical Center of Southern Nevada with his wife. His time on SNL was met with controversy from Dana White of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, who invited Aldean to open the latest UFC fights in Las Vegas as a sign of support for the community.
On SNL, he introduced "I Won't Back Down" with a poignant message that was a way to honor Petty but also the people who lost their life.
"This week we witnessed one of the worst tragedies in American history," Aldean said on SNL. "So many people are hurting. You can be sure that we are going to walk through these tough times together every step of the way."