On October 1, 2017, Jason Aldean was closing the Route 91 Harvest festival on the Las Vegas Strip when a gunman opened fire on the crowd from the Mandalay Bay hotel, killing 60 people and wounding more than 800 — the deadliest mass shooting by a single gunman in U.S. history. Aldean, his band, and crew were physically unharmed; he stopped mid-song and left the stage.
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On the night of October 1, 2017, Jason Aldean was performing as the closing headliner of the three-day Route 91 Harvest country music festival, held at the Las Vegas Village grounds on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, before a crowd of roughly 22,000 people. He was performing his song "When She Says Baby" when gunfire erupted from the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino across the street.
The gunman, 64-year-old Stephen Paddock, fired more than 1,000 rounds into the crowd from a 32nd-floor suite over about ten minutes. Sixty people were killed and more than 800 injured (867 in all, at least 413 by gunfire), making it the deadliest mass shooting committed by a single gunman in United States history. Paddock was found dead in his room; his motive was never officially determined.
Aldean stopped playing when the shots rang out, and he, his band, and his crew ran from the stage unharmed. The festival has not been held again since 2017, and the attack renewed the national debate over gun laws and prompted a federal ban on bump stocks.
The night of the attack, Aldean posted a message on his official Instagram: "Tonight has been beyond horrific ... Me and my Crew are safe. My Thoughts and prayers go out to everyone involved." He postponed upcoming tour dates and, on October 7, 2017, opened that week's episode of Saturday Night Live with a tribute to the victims, performing Tom Petty's "I Won't Back Down."
Aldean has said the shooting profoundly affected him, and he has framed his continued touring as a way of not letting the attack take live country music away from fans. He returned "When She Says Baby" to his setlist about a year and a half later.
What song was Jason Aldean playing when the Las Vegas shooting started?
He was performing "When She Says Baby" as the festival's closing act when the gunfire began.
Was Jason Aldean hurt in the Route 91 shooting?
No. Aldean, his band, and crew were physically unharmed. He stopped the show and left the stage when the shooting started.
How many people died in the Route 91 Harvest shooting?
Sixty people were killed and more than 800 injured — the deadliest mass shooting by a single gunman in U.S. history.
Has the Route 91 Harvest festival happened since 2017?
No. The festival has not been held again since the 2017 attack.
How did Jason Aldean respond after the shooting?
He posted that he and his crew were safe, postponed tour dates, and opened Saturday Night Live on October 7, 2017 with Tom Petty's "I Won't Back Down."