The community came to Stewart Park Saturday to commemorate and pay tribute to those affected by the Oct. 1 shooting of last year. After a 9k/5k Run-Walk, a concert was held by The Tory Rose and Sanctus Real bands at 1 p.m. in Legion Field. Both bands offered a free concert to honor the nine students who lost their lives exactly a year ago.
Dustin Lolli, lead vocalist of the Christian rock band Sanctus Real, described being asked to perform Saturday as being a huge honor.
“I feel like our job as musicians more than anything else is to offer hope to people who sometimes feel hopeless,” Lolli said while adding, “that is the story of Christ more than anything else.”
A favorite song amongst Sanctus Real fans is the popular song “Lead Me” while Lolli describes his own personal favorites as being “This is Love” and “My Desire” as they foreshadow actual past events in his life.
Lead singer Tory Rose, of the local country crossover band Tory Rose, explains that the favorite song among their fans is her original “White Roses” while her own personal favorite is the song “Creep” by Radiohead. She believes that music brings people together, and she hopes that her music will resonate with people on a more personal level.
“Music is a magical thing, and aside from bringing people together, one of the most amazing things that I have been able to accomplish through my music would be connecting with others on a level that I never knew existed,” Rose said via email.
As for the impact that music has on the community, both bands aspire to bring hope to people in times of darkness. “Music is one of the things that reaches deep down to our emotions, and some would say our souls,” said Lolli. “My hope is that when someone listens to our music in the future they get inspired to hope, to love, and to live their life knowing that they can have a huge impact in our world.
Both bands want those still affected by Oct. 1 to know that they are loved and that together they can get through anything.
“If I could say anything, it would be that love endures, and it always has; light is better than darkness, hope is better than hopelessness and faith is better than fear,” said Lolli. “Many times, love is shown best in the middle of pain. So stay strong and know that you are loved.”
“Music is one of the things that reaches deep down to our emotions, and some say our souls.” —Tory Rose