CMT Blog: Northern Illinois University

Until yesterday, DeKalb meant one thing to me: Country music. But one man with two guns has changed all that. Now, for millions of people across the country, DeKalb now stands for yet another senseless college shooting.DeKalb's Northern Illinois University campus is about a half hour west of where I live. It's nestled in the farmlands that sit on the edge of Chicagoland's suburbs, kind of a transitional gateway to the way-more-rural land that stretches beyond it. And its Convocation Center has been hosting country acts for years: Sugarland, Rodney Atkins, Rascal Flatts, Brooks & Dunn, Miranda Lambert and Dierks Bentley. Bentley's was the last show I saw there, and it was one of his best ever. The arena-style seating with the college-town vibe fit perfectly with the personality of his live show. So when country fans around here thought of DeKalb, I'm sure they always thought of good times. Now, everyone will think of the six students who died while sitting in an oceanography class on Valentine's Day.

Coincidentally and tragically, another Chicago venue has lost its innocent identity. Tinley Park is home to Chicago's only outdoor amphitheatre, and always has a half-dozen country shows each summer. But now the name of that quiet suburb stands for something horrible: A shooting at a Lane Bryant store that left five women dead, with a shooter who is still at large. Just a half-hour south of me, in a town I used to associate with sunburns and steel guitars, there is a dark cloud that will forever hang over that venue.

The correlation of these shootings is mainly just in my head. Although, having them both happen within two weeks and 70 miles of each other makes it hard to ignore the link. While the connection between DeKalb, Tinley Park and live country music may still be there, it's now one that people will always associate with random acts of violence. My heart and prayers go out to the families and friends of all of those touched by both tragedies.