The Grand Ole Opry marked its gala centennial with a celebration that featured many of the top names in country music. Among them were Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban, Alan Jackson, Reba McEntire, Vince Gill, Travis Tritt, and more. There were also moments that were understandably somber. One of them featured Eric Church. He did a poignant tribute to those who perished on October 1, 2017, when a mass shooting took place at the Route 91 Harvest Country Music Festival in Las Vegas.
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What was planned as a time of gaiety and innocent fun suddenly became a deadly massacre. Fifty-eight people lost their lives and approximately 500 were injured. The number who endured and still may be dealing with emotional trauma is not known but is likely very many. The haunting memory of that terrible, unfathomable night still lingers.
Eric Church Moved The Audience Deeply With His Route 91 Tribute
Church was performing at the Las Vegas event on that tragic night. He spoke to the Opry 100 audience about it. Per The Tennessean, he said, "I played the Opry stage after playing the festival in Las Vegas and I did not want to be here." However, Church also mentioned that the Opry and the people there helped him deal with the process of "repairing a piece of my heart that night."
He Sang 'Why Not Me'
He performed a stunning song titled "Why Not Me," which he wrote in the aftermath of the shooting. The audience went utterly quiet in respect and sadness. The lyrics of the song must have touched their hearts deeply. It's probable that countless people uttered similar thoughts to Church's, either to themselves or aloud, in the days and weeks after the shooting. Some questions are hard, if not impossible, to answer.
"...Yeah the lord is my refuge and fortress
My God with whom I trust
But I'll never know why the wicked
Gets to prey on the best of us
Why you full of life and promise
At the top of your lungs so loud
My songs that you sang so sweetly will ring
In my ears forever now...."
