Rascal Flatts Honor Shooting Victims Prior To First Show of Las Vegas Residency
Many of the lights on the Las Vegas Strip also remembered the victims by going dark for a total of 11 minutes on Sunday night (Oct. 8).
In an effort to honor the victims and bring a sense of hope and healing to the Las Vegas community, Rascal Flatts continued with the kick-off to their limited Las Vegas residency over the weekend.
Rather than let the show go on right away, the award-winning band took a moment to address the crowd about the grief and sadness they’d been feeling since the night of the Las Vegas massacre.
The country trio stood center stage to talk to the audience at their Venetian residency about the circumstances that stemmed from the shooting at the Route 91 Harvest Festival just days prior. Although the sorrow in each of the member’s voices made for a somber speech, they still recognized their own anguish reflected off of the country community that was affected as a whole.
“There are no words that can adequately express the confusion, the frustration, the sadness, the pain and the anger that we all deal with when we’re faced with unspeakable evil such as the events that unfolded just a few nights ago in this city,” Jay DeMarcus said.
It was Joe Don Rooney, though, that countered the heartache with resilience as he pointed out the courageous spirit that Rascal Flatts planned to keep as they continued on with their scheduled programming despite horrific loss.
“But we quickly came to the conclusion that, no matter what, we’re not going to let evil win. We’re here tonight, and the rest of this residency, to make a statement,” Rooney said.
Mirroring the same brave attitude of Rascal Flatts and their honoring of community, the lights on the Las Vegas Strip went out for a total of 11 minutes on Sunday night (Oct. 8) to remember the fallen victims from the shooting. A sign from the MGM Grand stood out from the rest during the brief blackout by saying the words, “When things get dark, Las Vegas shines.”
Those who want to continue with relief efforts for the Las Vegas victims and their families can contribute to organizations like the American Red Cross, Music City Cares Fund and many others throughout the online community.
