Jason Aldean, Jennifer Lopez cancel shows after Las Vegas shooting

This file photo shows Executive producer/judge Jennifer Lopez of ‘World Of Dance’ at the NBC Universal Summer Press Day at the Beverly Hilton, in Beverly Hills, California on March 20, 2017. (File photo by AFP)

Country music singer Jason Aldean poses at the 2017 CMT Music Awards in Nashville, Tennessee, US on June 7, 2017. (File photo by Reuters)

LOS ANGELES: Country star Jason Aldean said on Tuesday he would cancel three shows this week to honor victims of the deadliest mass shooting in modern US history in which a gunman opened fire on a crowd at a Las Vegas music festival during the singer’s performance.
Aldean canceled stops in Los Angeles, San Diego and Anaheim, California, as part of his “They Don’t Know Tour.” The tour will resume in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on Oct. 12 and refunds will be offered for the canceled shows.
“I feel like out of respect for the victims, their families and our fans, it is the right thing to do. It has been an emotional time for everyone involved this week, so we plan to take some time to mourn the ones we have lost and be close with our family and friends,” Aldean said in a statement.
The singer added: “Our first time back onstage will be a very tough and emotional thing for us, but we will all get through it together and honor the people we lost by doing the only thing we know how to do — play our songs for them.”
Aldean was on stage on Sunday night at the Route 91 Harvest country music festival when Stephen Paddock, a retiree armed with multiple assault rifles, strafed the crowd at the concert from a high-rise hotel window, killing 59 people. The massacre left more than 525 people injured.
Jennifer Lopez, currently in her “Jennifer Lopez: All I Have” residency at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas, also canceled her scheduled shows this week. The performances will be rescheduled for later dates.
“Jennifer is heartbroken that such a senseless tragedy occurred. Her thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families,” the singer’s representatives said in a statement on Tuesday.
Organizers of the Austin City Limits Music Festival in Texas said on Tuesday they would offer refunds to people who no longer want to attend for security concerns after the Las Vegas shooting.
Earlier this week, Warner Bros. said it would scale back Tuesday’s world premiere of sci-fi film “Blade Runner 2049” after the Las Vegas tragedy, canceling the red carpet, where stars chat to reporters and pose for photos.
ESPN’s “Monday Night Football” and ABC’s Monday episode of “Dancing With the Stars” both opened with a moment of silence for the victims of the tragedy.