Festival becomes hellish
When it started Friday, the Route 91 Harvest festival was intended to be three days for concertgoers to enjoy country music and share blissful photos online, using the hashtag #RT91Harvest. Sunday evening, the event came to a cruel end when a gunman began firing from his room at the nearby Mandalay Bay Casino and Resort.
THE BEGINNINGS OF ROUTE 91 HARVEST MUSIC FESTIVAL
Billed as a #ThreeDayNeonSleepover, the first Route 91 Harvest festival took place in October 2014. Jason Aldean, who was a headlining act this year, played the first event along with Miranda Lambert, Blake Shelton and Dierks Bentley.
Rolling Stone called the festival one of the first of its kind after the inaugural weekend, which brought a heavy-hitting bill of top country artists and up-andcomers to Las Vegas. The magazine reported that the venue catered to 30,000 people.
THOUSANDS OF COUNTRY FANS CAME TO ENJOY HEADLINERS
Eric Church took the stage Friday night as the main act after a day of performances by Lee Brice, Brothers Osborne and Michael Ray.
Saturday, hip hop crossover Sam Hunt closed out the day of music from fellow performers Maren Morris, Lauren Alaina, Bobby Bones and the Raging Idiots, and Brett Young, among others.
The acts were a big draw for tens of thousands of attendees. On June 17, the festival announced via Instagram that the event had sold out “in record time.”
According to the festival’s website, a general admission pass for the entire festival cost $210. Various VIP packages were available ranging from $375 to $750.
‘TONIGHT HAS BEEN BEYOND HORRIFIC. ... IT HURTS MY HEART’
Aldean was performing as the shots began. Owen, Big & Rich, Kane Brown, the Josh Abbott Band, Tyler Reeve and Dee Jay Silver were slated to take the Main Stage on Sunday before Aldean’s performance.
Aldean, like several other celebrities, expressed his sorrow and grief on social media, reflecting on the worst mass shooting in modern American history.
“Tonight has been beyond horrific,” the Any Ol’ Barstool singer wrote on Instagram. “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 should have been a fun night.”