Cole Swindell to Meet Family of Vegas Victim Whose ‘You Should Be Here’ Cover Went Viral
Cole Swindell's emotional song "You Should Be Here" has taken on a new meaning since the Route 91 Harvest Festival in Las Vegas, where a shooter opened fire and killed 58 people in the crowd.
One of the lives lost was a country fan named Brennan Stewart, whose cover of "You Should Be Here" went viral after news of his death. Swindell saw it, too, and he plans to meet the victim's family when he stops in Vegas for an upcoming show.
While he's looking forward to connecting with them, he knows it will be a struggle emotionally. "It's about being able to help people out when they need it, whether it's with music or not," Swindell says. "To know that guy covered my song, was a fan of not just my music, but every country artist, it's an honor to know I'm going to get to sing that song and think about him for a long time."
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"You Should Be Here" was originally written to honor Swindell's father, who died in 2013, but the singer admits he sees the song in a new light following the tragedies country music has faced recently, including the massacre in Las Vegas and the deaths of both Troy Gentry and Don Williams.
"There's so many that we've lost ... and to have that song that I wrote about losing my dad ... knowing that now, all these people are feeling those same feelings," Swindell tells Taste of Country and other media. "That's all I ever wanted to do was write one song that could touch somebody, help them through a tough time like country music's always done for me, and I think that's why that's song's so special to me, always will be. Writing that song has helped me just as much as it has anybody else — that's the beauty of music."
"You Should Be Here" topped country charts in 2016 and was certified gold by the RIAA.
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