'Good, bad or ugly': New doc '11 Minutes' looks back at 2017 Las Vegas country music fest shooting:
Warren describes eventually leaving his safe space and venturing onto the festival grounds after the shooting permanently impacted him via a young woman wearing red shorts. He saw a young woman curled in the fetal position amid"bodies strewn everywhere.
" Yet, he could not check on her condition as he was pulled toward another person needing help. Yet, until Warren watched the documentary, she remained a"haunting figure representing the entire night." Notable, too, are the numerous police officers, medical personnel, and survivors whose stories of bravery and harrowing tales of avoiding death add a macabre feel to the documentary. Police officers' body camera footage of stalking the shooter's path at the Mandalay Bay – including entering his room and finding he had shot himself before being apprehended – is unforgettable. The cell phone footage from the makeshift triage area at the nearby Tropicana Hotel, where survivors scrambled during and after the gunfire, is profound. Natalie Grumet had her jaw nearly blown off her body by a single bullet. Hearing her describe finally being viewed by others damaged by gunfire is harrowing. Hearing her discuss overcoming years of reconstructive surgery and the scarring she will have for the rest of her life allows for the life-changing impact of what transpired to resonate powerfully. The documentary articulates both sides of gun control. The industry has often sided in support of its fanbase's Second Amendment right to bear arms. "Serious conversations must be had to ensure that this doesn't happen again," Warren said, and that"no solutions are achieved via the documentary."Survivors reunite for documentary Warren also highlighted a worldwide series of Route 91 Harvest Festival survivors' reunions as one of his favorite parts of the documentary. One includes the story of Compton-born, African American country music fan Jonathan Smith. Just before the start of Aldean's set, he was asked, in a negative tone, why he was at the event – specifically because he was Black. Then, the documentary shows that during the shooting, he was shot in the neck and not immediately tended to by authorities on the scene. Issues of racism in country music are now more at the forefront of the genre than ever. Their appearance in this documentary, at that moment, is heart-droppingly sad. However, following Smith's story – and his eventual rescue and healing – is an incredible victory of the documentary. Seeing him being embraced by fellow survivors and the issue of his race being superseded by community and goodwill is heartening. It is not a blanket moment that points at an all-encompassing genre evolution. However, it is one of many bright moments in the genre's continuing push toward acceptance of racial equity. "If you were there and survived, you talk about this daily. You share camaraderie and healing through stories and hugging it out. This was an unbelievable event that defies understanding how and why it happened," Warren said. He said the lessons learned and unity forged through the event and celebrated in the documentary will cause no drop in country music fans' festival attendance. "Route 91 Harvest Festival may never return to the Vegas Strip," said Warren. However, via the Academy of Country Music Awards, casino residencies for acts including Luke Bryan, Miranda Lambert and Carrie Underwood, plus artists like Dustin Lynch throwing poolside day parties, the genre's Sin City footprint remains significant. "Country music will now always have a slight bit of unnerving discomfort in Vegas. But we will not allow anyone or anything to take their genre away from us," Warren said "We are a family and will always stick together through good, bad, or ugly."
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