Route 91 Harvest: Facts about the country music festival

Wendy Geller
·Writer, Yahoo Entertainment
At least 58 people were killed and 515 hospitalized at a country music festival in Las Vegas — during what is now considered the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history.
At least 58 people were killed and 515 hospitalized at a country music festival in Las Vegas — during what is now considered the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history.

The Route 91 Harvest festival, a three-day country music extravaganza open to the general public that was held at the Las Vegas Village near Las Vegas’s Mandalay Bay resort, was the scene of a shooting spree that killed at least 58 and injured hundreds more on the night of Oct. 1.

The festival began Friday, Sept. 29, and was sponsored by SiriusXM. This is the festival’s fourth year, with the first one taking place in October 2014.

Jason Aldean — Sunday night’s headliner, who was onstage when the shots were fired — was a performer at the inaugural event, along with Miranda Lambert, Blake Shelton, and Dierks Bentley.

Over its history, the event has hosted such heavyweight names as Luke Bryan, Tim McGraw, Brad Paisley, Keith Urban, Lady Antebellum, Florida Georgia Line, and more.

For this year’s event, Eric Church was billed as Friday’s headliner, following performances by Lee Brice, Brothers Osborne, Michael Ray, and others. On Saturday, Sam Hunt headed the bill, along with Maren Morris, Lauren Alaina, and Brett Young. Prior to Aldean’s headlining set Sunday, Big & Rich, Luke Combs, and Jake Owen entertained the crowd.

Attendees were reportedly in the tens of thousands. On June 17, the festival announced on social media that passes had sold out “in record time.” According to the festival’s website, a general admission pass for the entire festival cost $210, with a variety of VIP packages also available ranging from $375 to $750.

Las Vegas has a long history of welcoming country music fans, having hosted the Academy of Country Music Awards annually since 2006. The awards show took off only one year from hosting in the city, holding its 2015 ceremonies in Dallas before returning to Nevada. The other best-known major country music event held in the general region is Stagecoach, which takes place in April in nearby Southern California.