We recently shared a collection of memories of September 11th, 2001, and its effects on our lives — and as we approach the tenth anniversary of that sad day this Sunday, we offer these stories once again, in remembrance.
- And from the Prep Site archives, we also share this story — published two years ago — as Brooks & Dunn recalled a scheduled show in Philadelphia, two days after 9-11, and their concern about singing “Only in America,” which begins with the opening line, “Sun coming up, over New York City.” Link here for their memories of that day.
-11: Recollections, 10 Years Later" src="http://prep.hearsomethingcountry.com/audio.gif" width="16" height="14" /> Ronnie Dunn recalls the reaction to Brooks & Dunn’s performance of “Only in America” following 9-11. (:39)
“I remember the most emotionally moved I’ve ever been was after 9-11. We went out on tour, and we prepared a video snippet, and it had nothing to do with 9-11. And we start this show with a heartbeat — boom, boom — big heartbeat, massive in the sound system, and it would kick in to ‘Only in America.’ And the crowd was so loud during the song that you couldn’t hear yourself sing. And so emotional. My wife…I took my wife out on the tour, I mean Janine, to see what was goin’ on. It was unbelievable.”
-11: Recollections, 10 Years Later" src="http://prep.hearsomethingcountry.com/audio.gif" width="16" height="14" /> Miranda Lambert recalls how 9-11 reached even into her small hometown. (:22)
“9-11, I was a sophomore in high school; I was in the choir. And I remember even in my little-bitty town of East Texas — in Lindale, Texas — there was kids leavin’ school because their loved ones had been injured or killed in 9-11, so it affected so many people and so many lives, and it’ll never be forgotten as long as I live. I’ll always remember where I was and that feeling.”
-11: Recollections, 10 Years Later" src="http://prep.hearsomethingcountry.com/audio.gif" width="16" height="14" /> Jake Owen was in a college classroom as he saw the unfolding tragedy of 9-11. (:40)
“I’ll never forget, man, I was in school — I was taking a critical reasoning and thinking class, right off of the Landis Green in Tallahassee at Florida State University. And I remember sittin’ down that morning in class, and on the big projector, he had the news on, and he was like, ‘Ah, some idiot,’ our teacher said, ‘Some idiot just flew his plane into the World Trade Center.’ And everyone’s like, ‘What?’ We couldn’t believe that. And then, it was right then, man, where all of a sudden, they started saying it was a terrorist act, and the next thing you know, they said, ‘There’s another one coming! There’s another one coming!’ And it was just…man, to sit there and watch that was one of the most horrific things I’ve ever seen with my own eyes.”
-11: Recollections, 10 Years Later" src="http://prep.hearsomethingcountry.com/audio.gif" width="16" height="14" /> Jake Owen recalls his college professor dismissing class and the dumbstruck silence that existed on his college campus amid the news of 9-11. (:32)
“He let us…obviously everyone got out early, and we were…I was walkin’ around, and I mean, on a campus full of thousands and thousands of people that walk around every day, it was just silent. Everyone was silent. And they were just kind of walkin’ around lookin’ at each other, I think appreciating that we’re even still there. Anytime 9-11 rolls around, it’s always one of those things where you think about 10 years ago and how much that changed our day-to-day lives and, you know, you just think about those people that lost family members and hope and pray that it never happens again.”