Jason Aldean and his wife Brittany have never forgotten the tragic mass shooting that took place at the Route 91 Harvest Festival on Oct. 1, 2017.
On Wednesday (Oct. 1), they each commemorated the eighth anniversary of the massacre with a social media post.
Aldean shared a simple graphic of an orange ribbon with the Route 91 logo positioned in the middle.
“Thinking about all of our Route 91 fam today,” he wrote, along with three heart emojis colored orange, purple and black.
Jason Aldean
Brittany’s post remembering the Route 91 anniversary was a personal memory.
She shared a snapshot taken the day after the shooting, showing the view from her window overlooking the Las Vegas venue.
“I can’t believe it’s been 8 years ago today since Route 91,” Brittany wrote.
“We still think of and pray for all the victims and survivors every day,” she continued. “God bless our Route 91 family.”
Brittney Aldean Route 91
What Happened at the 2017 Route 91 Harvest Festival Mass Shooting?
The Route 91 Harvest Festival shooting took place on Oct. 1, 2017.
Aldean was one of three headliners at the annual country festival that year. While he was performing onstage, gunman Stephen Paddock opened fire on the crowd from his 32nd-floor suite at the nearby Mandalay Bay Hotel.
Read More: Remembering the Faces + Stories of the Route 91 Harvest Festival Shooting Victims
Fifty-eight people were killed at the scene. In the months that followed, two more victims died from injuries sustained in the shooting.
This brought the massacre’s death toll to 60, making it the deadliest mass shooting by a lone gunman in U.S. history — a title it retains today.
Approximately 867 people were injured.
When authorities arrived at Paddock’s hotel room, they discovered that he had died of a self-inflicted gun shot wound.
Where Were Jason Aldean + Brittany Aldean During the Shooting?
Aldean was onstage when gunfire erupted.
Brittany, who was eight months pregnant with the couple’s son, Memphis, at the time, was backstage.
Neither of them was harmed during the tragedy, nor were Aldean’s band members — though a bullet lodged in the instrument his bass player was holding onstage.
What Has Jason Aldean Said About the Route 91 Shooting?
Aldean has consistently supported the group of people who were there at the show that night, and he remembers the anniversary of the tragedy with a social media post every year.
During a recent conversation on Dax Shepherd’s podcast, Aldean admitted he’s never been to therapy to process the event, though he’s helped fund therapy for crew members and others impacted.
Read More: Jason Aldean Explains How He Processed Route 91 Shooting
The singer also recounted a “breakdown” he experienced after the fact, which took place at home after Memphis was born.
“I ended up having a moment at my house where I broke down thinking about all the people I could have lost,” Aldean remembered.
Remembering the Victims of Route 91 and Their Stories
Their stories should never be forgotten.
Gallery Credit: Sterling Whitaker
