Thomas Rhett performed in North Charleston, S.C., on Thursday (Oct. 5), and offered a moment of silence for the victims of the Route 91 Harvest Festival shooting while his crowd chanted "U.S.A." in the background. Readers can press play above to catch a clip of the powerful moment.

Rhett's show in North Charleston was his first time onstage since the tragedy on Oct. 1.

"Our hearts are so heavy for everybody in Vegas. This should be a place that you can come to have fun and not worry about anything," Rhett said as the crowd began to chant. "If you don't mind -- it doesn't matter what your belief, but I believe in God ... I'm not going to, like, pray, but could we just have, like, 20 seconds of total silence?"

Country Stars Respond Following Route 91 Harvest Festival Shooting

Rhett and his band and stage crew observed their own moment of silence before the show earlier that night. The artist posted a photo of the moment to Instagram, along with a message about their intentions for the concert. Rhett was not one of the performers at the three-day Route 91 Harvest Festival, but he did have some crew members there, he says.

"It was very strange walking into an arena for a night of music after the horrible events that took place a few days ago. We decided as a band and crew that we would not play this or the shows to come in fear, but rather in a spirit of love and joy that music is supposed to bring," Rhett writes. "We will never forget this tragic event, but we will continue to celebrate the good in the world."

Remembering the Route 91 Harvest Festival Shooting Victims

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