The title “11 Minutes” doesn’t immediately catch your attention. When you realize that this is the Paramount+ documentary of the Route 91 Harvest Festival in Las Vegas, I defy you to turn away. “October 1, 2017, I woke up in Vegas it was the best day ever.” This is a statement that opens the trailer below. How ironic this would become.
The documentary’s name comes from the amount of time the shooter fired down on the crowd from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Hotel. 58 souls lost their lives. More than 800 were injured. Country music and its community is usually the uniter of people after tragedy. It is not the subject of the tragedy. “11 Minutes” chooses to focus on the heroes of the event rather than glorifying the horrific actions of one man. And I think that’s important. It features never before seen footage (including some heart-stopping police cam video apparently) and an interview with Jason Aldean. I’m stunned by this. I know that he was rocked to his core by the event and didn’t speak of it to anyone for a long time. I’ve personally spoken with Jake Owen about being there. He’s never been the same. I’m not saying this is not a tough watch. What I am saying is that I believe it is an important watch-whether you are a country music fan or not.