Last week, Maren Morris performed for the first time since the Las Vegas shooting and decided to do something special.
"So normally, the show would be over at this point," Morris tells the crowd. "This is our first show since we played the Vegas festival." An emotional Morris then asks the crowd to take a moment for the lives lost and thanks the crowd for coming.
"You can feel so helpless," she says. But in addition to donating money and blood, she says one of the most powerful things you can do is come together with music.
Maren Morris released "Dear Hate" after a shooter killed 58 people and injured more than 500 more. The gorgeous duet features Vince Gill.
She actually first shared the song last year after the Dallas shooting that killed several officers. A Dallas area native, Morris references several important historical moments fueled by hatred. Things like the assassination of John F. Kennedy and the backlash civil rights protesters faced in Selma, Ala.
"I've never performed it at a show," Morris explains. "I never thought I'd be performing it, honestly. But the message was so powerful the day we wrote it. And that was three years ago. And it rings even more true now, unfortunately."
"If you've gone through some dark times, I hope this brings you a little light," she says.
As she points out, the song feels as important now as three years ago when she wrote it. Morris originally planned on releasing the song on Friday, but Apple put it on iTunes almost immediately.
The song quickly jumped to No. 1 on the iTunes Store. As she mentioned in the performance, Morris pledged all of the proceeds from the song to help the victims of the horrendous attack. Morris performed at the Route 91 Harvest Festival in Las Vegas on Saturday, the day before the attack.
Related:
- Eric Church Gives Emotional Speech at Opry, Dedicates New Song to Victims
- Jason Aldean and Wife Return to Las Vegas for First Time Since Shooting
- Luke Bryan Shares Inspiring Message to Audience After Vegas Shooting
