Yahoo News Jason Aldean slammed for 'choosing SNL appearance over performing for Las Vegas survivors'
Jason Aldean has been accused of refusing to perform for Las Vegas shooting survivors and first responders, opting for an appearance on Saturday Night Live instead.
The president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Dana White, has claimed that the country singer lied about being “too rattled” to perform, saying that he may never perform live again, only to perform on SNL in New York City on the same night as the UFC event, TMZ have reported.
![Dana White has hit out at Jason Aldean. Copyright: [Rex]](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/1CSGwUqzxwHdOnrhevFJBQ--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTc3MA--/https://media.zenfs.com/en/homerun/feed_manager_auto_publish_494/66274b3a8de03cfa144150254365b749)
Speaking to the publication, Dana said: “F*ck you Jason Aldean, stay out of Vegas.”
Jason had been the headline performer for the Route 91 Harvest music festival last Sunday, 1 October.
Midway through his set, 64-year-old Stephen Paddock launched an attack from his room at the Mandalay Bay Hotel across the street, killing 58 people in the deadliest mass shooting in America’s history.
According to reports, Dana had wanted Jason to perform the National Anthem at a mixed martial arts event in Vegas on Saturday 7 October in order to unite survivors and Nevada city residents following the tragedy.
![A poignant memorial for victims has been set up in Vegas. Copyright: [AP]](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/3KBeTOTE25TFPDnwQNflig--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTUxNw--/https://media.zenfs.com/en/homerun/feed_manager_auto_publish_494/0ef8b3d50a8486fc562d75e341a91e36)
However, Jason told the UFC President that he might never perform again, although he then went on to pay tribute to the victims of the shooting and rocker Tom Petty on Saturday Night Live instead.
Speaking to the camera during his appearance, Jason said: “This week we witnessed one of the worst tragedies in American history.
“Like everyone, I’m struggling to understand what happened that night and how to pick up the pieces and start to heal.
“So many people are hurting. There are children, parents, brothers, sisters, friends. They’re all part of our family.
“So I want to say to them: We hurt for you. We hurt with you. But you can be sure that we’re gonna walk through these tough times together every step of the way.
“Because when America is at its best, our bond and our spirit – it’s unbreakable.”
He then gave a moving performance of Petty’s 1989 hit ‘I Won’t Back Down’.
Despite reportedly snubbing the opportunity to perform, Jason returned to Vegas a day after his SNL performance so that he could visit victims of the shooting, with his pregnant wife Britanny sharing a photo of herself and her husband outside of the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino.
A post shared by Brittany Aldean (@brittanyaldean) on Oct 8, 2017 at 2:55pm PDT
She captioned the photo with: “Feels surreal being back in Vegas today. Visiting some of the strongest people we have ever met… fighting the toughest battle of them all… for their lives.
“You have helped us try to begin to start the healing process by seeing the strength each one of you have. Thank you for today. We will never forget.”
According to E! News, Jason and Brittany visited patients at both the University Medical Center and Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center.
Jason Aldean has not commented on Dana White’s claims and Yahoo Celeb UK have contacted his reps.
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