Lauren Alaina Vows Not to ‘Let Fear Overpower Love’ After Las Vegas Shooting
Lauren Alaina was one of the country singers on the bill at the Route 91 Harvest Festival in Las Vegas last weekend, and in a social media post, she says she won't let the mass shooting that took place stop her from sharing her music with fans.
Alaina performed on Saturday (Sept. 30), one day before a shooter opened fire on the crowd from his 32nd-floor room in a hotel adjacent to the concert. He killed at least 58 people and injured nearly 500 more in the worst mass shooting in modern American history.
The singer shared a clip from her performance to Instagram in which she's singing her current single, "Doin' Fine," to an enthusiastic crowd. The sun is shining, people are cheering and having fun and there is no hint yet of the tragedy that would occur just over 24 hours later.
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"I have been searching and searching for the words" to describe her feelings, Alaina admits, adding, "There are no words that do this justice. Every time I close my eyes I see this crowd. I see their smiling faces, their love for music, and their outpouring joy and happiness to be in a place that felt safe to express who they are with music. I felt truly connected to them for the 40 minutes I was on that stage, and I still feel connected to them. I will not let one monster steal away the beautiful and lasting impression they made on me."
Alaina says she will "remember them for the happiness they brought me while sharing my music with them. That's who THEY are. My heart is aching for the lives lost and the lives forever changed. We can't bring back the loved ones that were lost, but we can give love in their memory and in their honor. We can't let fear overpower love."
Like many others in country music who are shocked by the shooting, Alaina says the answer is to move forward and continue to share good times and good music with country music fans all over the world.
"I'm going to keep getting on those stages and making memories with crowds like that Vegas crowd and I shared," she states, adding, "Music is love. Music heals. God is love. God heals. Let's all come together in this time."
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