Jason Aldean Honors Vegas Victims, Pays Tribute to Petty On SNL [WATCH]

Jason Aldean returned to the stage last night for a special performance to open Saturday Night Live.

Saturday Night Live has always been known for some of the funniest moments in TV history, but the show has always been a beacon of hope and healing when the nation has gone through tough times.

Jason Aldean took the SNL stage last night to cold open the show. I can imagine, less than one week after the horrific events in Las Vegas, this was difficult to do. He cancelled shows this weekend out of respect for the victims, but I understand why Jason decided to do this one performance. He needed to do this to help with the healing process.

Jason speaks for a bit on the Vegas tragedy, and how he has been struggling to make sense of it all. He then pays tribute to the victims, thier friends and family and everyone in our country music family, telling them we all hurt with them. Aldean wraps up saying we will walk through these tough times together and '...when America is at it's best, our bond, and our spirit - it's unbreakable.' He then appropriately joins the band in playing Tom Petty's 'I Won't Back Down,' paying tribute to the Rock legend who passed away last week.

This is what Jason, does - he is a performer. It is part of his DNA. And what we do is go to shows, and share moments with artists. It is part of our DNA. It has been a tough week after the tragedy in Vegas, and it will take time for everyone affected to heal. Hopefully moments like this on SNL continue to help that process.

And Jason is right. We won't back down.