(CelebrityAccess) — Country artist Jason Aldean announced that he’s taking a short hiatus from the stage, and canceling a handful of upcoming shows out of “respect for the victims” of the deadly Route 91 Harvest Festival on Sunday.
Aldean was on stage, performing the closing set at the festival when 64-year-old Stephen Paddock, the alleged gunman in the attack, launched his deadly shooting rampage on Sunday night.
Affected shows include three concerts in California: The Forum in Los Angeles on Oct. 6th; Mattress Firm Amphitheater in San Diego on Oct. 7th; and The Honda Center in Anaheim on Oct. 8th.
Aldean announced his decision to cancel the shows in a post on his website, writing:
“As a result of what happened in Las Vegas this week, we have decided to cancel this coming weekend’s shows. I feel like out of respect for the victims, their families and our fans, it is the right thing to do. It has been an emotional time for everyone involved this week, so we plan to take some time to mourn the ones we have lost and be close with our family and friends. Our plan is to resume the tour the following week in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Our first time back onstage will be a very tough and emotional thing for us, but we will all get through it together and honor the people we lost by doing the only thing we know how to do – play our songs for them. I hope everyone understands why we can’t play this weekend and I’m sorry if anyone is disappointed.
“I want to say thank you for the outpouring of love from my friends and fans we have received over the last couple days. You guys have no idea how much you have helped get us through this tough time.”
Aldean’s next scheduled performance is October 12th at the BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
