American country music stars expressed horror after Sunday’s mass shooting in Las Vegas turned a three-day open-air festival into a scene of carnage, and one said it forced him to change his opposition to gun control.
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – American country music stars expressed horror after Sunday&rsquo-s mass shooting in Las Vegas turned a three-day open-air festival into a scene of carnage, and one said it forced him to change his opposition to gun control.
The Route91 Harvest festival, promoted as a &ldquo-three day neon sleepover,&rdquo- attracted fans from across the United States to hear country&rsquo-s biggest stars, including Jason Aldean, Eric Church and Sam Hunt.
At least 59 people were killed by a 64-year-old gunman who released a hailstorm of bullets into the festival site. Police said the gunman&rsquo-s motives remain unknown.
Caleb Keeter, a guitarist with the Josh Abbott Band, which played the festival earlier on Sunday, said he had been a lifelong supporter of the right to bear arms &ldquo-until the events of last night. I cannot express how wrong I was.&rdquo-
&ldquo-We need gun control RIGHT. NOW. My biggest regret is that I stubbornly didn’t realize it until my brothers on the road and myself were threatened by it,&rdquo- Keeter said on Twitter.
Aldean, the Sunday night headliner, had just taken the stage when bursts of gunfire rang out, sending thousands of people diving for cover.
&ldquo-Tonight has been beyond horrific,&rdquo- Aldean, 40, who was unharmed, said on Instagram. &ldquo-It hurts my heart that this would happen to anyone who was just coming out to enjoy what should have been a fun night.&rdquo-
Singer Jake Owen, who performed minutes before Aldean, said he witnessed &ldquo-the most unimaginable event.&rdquo-
&ldquo-Shots were ringing off the stage rigging and road cases. No one knew where to go,&rdquo- Owen tweeted.
Owen told Fox News in an interview early on Monday, &rdquo-This isn&rsquo-t what America is supposed to look like.
Chris Young, a country singer who was at the festival on Sunday but not playing, said on Twitter that he &ldquo-spent I don&rsquo-t know how long on the floor of a trailer behind the stage&rdquo- listening to the gunfire.
&ldquo-I&lsquo-m literally shaking still,&rdquo- Young added.
Country newcomer Kane Brown, 23, who performed earlier on Sunday, tweeted, &ldquo-This world is sick.&rdquo-
The Route91 festival has been held in Las Vegas for three years, attracting large crowds to hear country music&rsquo-s top talent. The festival was open to all ages, with strollers welcome. Tickets for the 2017 event started at $210 for three days, rising to $750 for an air-conditioned VIP suite, according to the festival website.
Photos taken earlier in the weekend and posted on the festival&rsquo-s Twitter feed showed crowds of mostly young people in T-shirts and cowboy hats, dancing and drinking in the sunshine.
Festival promoter Live Nation said on Monday that it was &ldquo-heartbroken over the tragedy.&rdquo-
&ldquo-To think that anyone would want to inflict harm on a gathering of music lovers is beyond our comprehension,&rdquo- the company said in a statement, saying it would do its utmost to support the victims.
Taylor Swift, who started her career as a country singer, said on Twitter there were &ldquo-no words to express the helplessness and sorrow my broken heart feels for the victims.&rdquo-
Luke Bryan, Miranda Lambert and Shania Twain tweeted that they were heartbroken, while veteran singer Brad Paisley said &ldquo-there are no words right now that suffice,&rdquo- and Keith Urban said he was &ldquo-stilled and speechless.&rdquo-
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