Maren Morris and More Country Stars Honor Las Vegas and Manchester Attack Victims at 2018 Grammys

Singer, Eric Church and Brothers Osborne come together nearly four months after they performed at the Route 91 Festival

By McKenna Aiello Jan 29, 2018 2:37 AMTags
Maren Morris, 2018 Grammy Awards, PerformancesKevin Winter/Getty Images for NARAS

Maren MorrisEric Church and Brothers Osborne performed a moving tribute to the victims of the Las Vegas shooting massacre and Manchester bombing at tonight's 2018 Grammy Awards

Madison Square Garden was brought to tears over the collaboration, as they sang a cover of the Grammy-winning song "If I Saw You in Heaven" by Eric Clapton

Each country music star took the stage during last October's Route 91 Harvest Festival, where a gunman opened fire on the crowd from inside a 32nd-floor suite at the Mandalay Bay Hotel. At least 58 were killed and hundreds more injured, making it the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history. 

In May 2017, more than 20 lives were lost following an Ariana Grande concert after a suicide bomber detonated an explosive in the foyer of the Manchester Arena. Names of the victims were displayed in the background. 

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2018 Grammys Red Carpet Fashion
Kevin Winter/Getty Images for NARAS

"The most important thing is is honoring all the victims and everyone affected by the Manchester bombing and Vegas shootings," Brothers Osborne told E! News on the Grammys red carpet. "I think the focus should be more on that than us. We're hoping we can make music, make people smile, just relax and feel some peace."

All three Grammy performers have released songs in response to the tragedy, and Church has said he knew some of the victims personally. He told The Associated Press, per CBS News, that "there's not a day that goes by since that day that I have not thought of it and thought of the people and the victims."

Maren agrees, but said their Grammys tribute is a testament to the country music world's commitment to each other. 

"It reinforces even more the strength of music and the community that we all share together, artists and fans alike," the 27-year-old shared, also adding, "As an artist and a performer, I don't want to be afraid to walk out on a stage each night. I know that we've all been reckoning with that for the last several months."

Meanwhile, at the 2017 CMA Awards last November, Carrie Underwood had the honor of recognizing those that lost their lives in the shooting during an emotional in memoriam segment.