Jason Aldean Is Dedicating ‘Rearview Town’ to Las Vegas Shooting Victims
Jason Aldean had the majority of his Rearview Town album completed before a horrific massacre in Las Vegas left 58 people dead, but the singer is dedicating the project to the victims of the tragedy.
Eleven out of the 15 tracks that appear on Rearview Town were cut before the mass shooting at Route 91 Harvest Festival on Oct. 1, where Aldean was performing his headlining set when a gunman fired into the crowd, killing 58 people and injuring many more. But "Ride All Night" and "I'll Wait for You" are two of the songs Aldean recorded after the event, in December of 2017.
"We did dedicate that record to the victims and the people that were there," Aldean says (quote via the Boot). "That was just something I wanted to do on a personal note, for me."
These Survivors' Tattoos Are Beautiful
Since most of the project was finished before tragedy struck, the singer says he wasn't compelled to incorporate a defining moment on the album related to the heartbreaking events.
"I didn't feel the need to go back in and record a 'Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)'-type of moment for the record," he says. "Ninety-five percent of this record was recorded before [the shooting] happened. As far as going back to put an exclamation mark on the record for what happened in Vegas, I didn't feel the need to do that. The album was cool before that happened, and I still think it's cool afterwards."
Some of the fans in attendance on the night of the shooting have asked the country star to return to Vegas and finish his festival set as a way to help them — and probably him — heal. An online community called 58 Survivors, 1 Last Set made a photo book for Aldean with shots from the night of the concert as a way to show support for the singer. He has given the request to return to Vegas some thought, and it may happen.
"It's a little bit of a process. We're talking about it — I can say that. We've had the discussion," Aldean explains. "I completely understand where they're coming from, and I appreciate the gesture. I appreciate that they want us to come back and finish the show, and that they want to come see it."
Rearview Town is out on April 13.