On the morning of October 1st, there were exactly 604 people looking forward to spending their time at a concert, listening to music they enjoyed. That night of fun ended with 58 of those people losing their lives and the rest severely injured. The Las Vegas Strip was once the place of bright lights, shows, and all around having the time of one’s life. Today it is the place where the deadliest mass shooting in the United States occurred.

Concerts are not an uncommon thing for people to attend regularly . Music in general is a massive part of this generation. Students will not go a day without listening to music. Whether it be walking down the hallway with one earbud in, turning on the radio in the car, or even humming a catchy song that has been stuck in one heads all day. Concerts are another way to keep that love for music alive. Junior Emily Putthoff believes that concerts can be a positive escape from their lives.

“For a lot of people concerts are their release from the world. People go to concerts to enjoy live music, appreciate music and just be themselves,” said Putthoff.

After the Las Vegas tragedy, the meaning of attending a concert turned from enjoying a night of high spirits and loud music to a reminder of the fact that one might not be the most safe at a concert. Putthoff recognizes how much of an impact the event affected the perception of concerts.

“It’s heartbreaking because everyone was probably so excited and then they’re stuck with a tragic memory, it taints concerts forever,” said Putthoff.

Music teacher Stephen Rew acknowledges the power music has to bring people together and how the shooting wrecked many.
“ It breaks my heart that a bunch of people who were there to have a good time together and spend time together had their lives, not just their evening, ruined by some idiot,” said Rue.

In the wake of a tragedy like this, there are more precautions being taken to protect the public. At school, student’s safety is important to the staff. They want to assure that the students feel secure at the place they go to five days a week for eight hours a day.

The officers that students see in the cafeteria, hallways, or in the office are there for that exact reason. Their duty is to ensure the wellbeing of students at school. Observance is one of the skills they practice. School Security Officer Rick Clausing is instructed to critically detect anything suspicious or problematic.

“We are trained to observe at all times, remember as many faces as I can, I look at how people walk, how they talk, the clothes they wear, their backpack, who they are walking with, how much attention they are even giving me,” said Clausing.

Since the recent tragedy in Nevada, safety is a recurring issue. Although schools take precaution by having safety officers such as Officer Clasing, people have been trying to find a practical and effective solution to threats within public areas with a high traffic volume. This includes concert venues, shopping malls, and airports. Officer Clausing wants students to be aware of their surroundings and

“Most of the stuff you look for is common sense; things that don’t make sense, things that don’t look right. If it makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up it’s probably a bad situation,” said Clausing.

The tragedy in Nevada was the deadliest in history with 58 dead and 489 wounded. It has caused the victim’s and their loved ones undeniable emotional distress. Their memories of the music festival have been tainted with memories of their worst nightmare. The road to recovery will be different for every individual. Rew hopes that students are able to continue enjoying music and choose to not live in terror.

“I don’t think any one of them is not going to go see a concert because of what they saw. I hope they wouldn’t. I hope that they still go love the music and live their live the way they see it. The worst thing we can do is live in fear,” said Rew.

The tragedy in Nevada is one of many mass shootings in the United States. Concerts will always continue to take place, just as tragedies will also happen. It is vital that people come to terms with what happened to move forward.