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The Josh Abbott Band have canceled two upcoming concerts following the Route 91 Harvest Festival shooting in Las Vegas, Nev. On Instagram, the band explains that the decision was made “out of respect for the victims and their families” and for “the overall health of our band and crew.”
The Josh Abbott Band were scheduled to perform in College Station, Texas, at Wolf Pen Creek, on Friday (Oct. 6), and in Waco, Texas, at the Heart of Texas Fair, on Saturday (Oct. 7). Fans with tickets should contact the venues for further details. The band now plans to resume playing live on Oct. 14, in Houston, Texas, at Sam Houston Race Park.
“This week has been emotional as we try to process what happened. It would be disingenuous for us to pretend like this is a normal week of shows. It wouldn’t be fair to you the fans or to ourselves,” the band writes. “We apologize for any inconvenience, but this is the right decision after the tragedy that just occurred … We thank all of you for your love and support during this difficult time.”
Country Stars Respond Following Route 91 Harvest Festival Shooting
During Sunday’s (Oct. 1) shooting, the Josh Abbott Band were in Las Vegas, having played the festival earlier in the day. The band was staying at Mandalay Bay, the hotel from which the shooter opened fire; they were locked out of the hotel, while Josh Abbott’s fiancee Taylor was in lockdown inside the hotel.
Shortly following the shooting, JAB guitarist Caleb Keeter admitted via Twitter that the tragedy has changed his mind about the gun control debate. After experiencing the shooting firsthand, and seeing how his crew’s legal guns were useless during the incident, Keeter is a proponent of stricter gun laws.
“We couldn’t touch [the legally carried guns] for fear police might think that we were part of the massacre and shoot us,” Keeter explains. “These rounds [shot by the shooter] were powerful enough that my crew guys just standing in a close proximity of a victim shot by this f–king coward received shrapnel wounds.”
Remembering the Route 91 Harvest Festival Shooting Victims
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