Brothers Osborne Know Grammy Tribute to Vegas Tragedy Victims Will Be ‘Emotional’
Eric Church, Maren Morris and Brothers Osborne's tribute to shooting victims will be a must-see 2018 Grammy Awards moment. The country acts have the honor of using the platform to bring healing after a rough 2017, which saw a number of tragedies.
"I thinks there's a lot of nerves around playing the Grammys because you're in front of the upper echelon of all genres there in one room," T.J. Osborne says.
But it's not the size of the crowd they're performing for that is the most intimidating going into the Grammy Awards. All three country acts were on the bill at the 2017 Route 91 Harvest Festival in Las Vegas, where a shooter opened fire on a crowd of thousands of fans, killing 58. In the wake of the tragedy, Church gave a moving testimonial during his appearance on the Grand Ole Opry, and Morris released a powerful song called "Dear Hate," donating the proceeds to the Music City Cares Fund to help the victims. Days after the massacre, John Osborne broke down in tears during an interview on the Bobby Bones Show, calling country fans "family."
Brothers Osborne know that paying tribute to those fans will have a resounding impact. "I think I'll be far more emotional than I will be nervous, and I think that's really my worry, is actually just getting through the performance in that regard," T.J. Osborne confesses. "But it's certainly an incredible honor to not only play the Grammys, but to do it for that occasion."
"The most important thing about that moment is honoring the victims and their families above all else," adds John, explaining that he and his brother feel "fortunate" to honor fans' memories alongside two of their friends. "I just hope that at the end of the day, we can help heal something at least a little bit."
The 2018 Grammy Awards air live from Madison Square Garden on Jan. 28 via CBS.
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