Jennifer Nettles brought a deeply emotional moment to New York City’s 25th anniversary commemoration of 9/11, performing Vince Gill’s “Go Rest High on That Mountain” for families honoring loved ones lost in the attacks.
The Sugarland singer and solo artist took the stage on September 11, 2026, during the 25th Anniversary Commemoration Ceremony at the 9/11 Memorial. The ceremony brought family members together to remember those killed in the September 11, 2001 attacks and the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. The official program also included seven moments of silence, including one recognizing people who later died from 9/11-related illnesses and injuries.
For Nettles, performing in New York carried additional significance. Alongside her career with Sugarland, she has performed on Broadway, giving her a longstanding connection to the city.
Jennifer Nettles Sings “Go Rest High on That Mountain”
Nettles chose a song with its own history of loss.
Gill began writing “Go Rest High on That Mountain” after the death of fellow country singer Keith Whitley in 1989. He eventually completed the song following the death of his brother, Bob, in 1993.
The original recording featured Ricky Skaggs and Patty Loveless on backing vocals. For the 9/11 ceremony, Nettles was joined by vocalists Emily Fink and Naomi Serrano, whose harmonies added another layer to the solemn performance, while Adam Rothenberg accompanied her on piano.
The result was a restrained and moving tribute that allowed the song’s message of grief, faith and remembrance to take center stage.
The National September 11 Memorial & Museum had announced Nettles as one of the ceremony’s featured musical performers, alongside Yo-Yo Ma and the Brooklyn Youth Chorus. Rothenberg served as music director and pianist, with Fink and Serrano among the vocalists supporting the program.
A Song Written From Personal Grief
“Go Rest High on That Mountain” has long carried a powerful connection to mourning because of the circumstances surrounding its creation.
Gill initially struggled to finish the song after Whitley’s death. His brother’s passing several years later ultimately brought him back to the unfinished piece, giving it the personal weight that has helped make it one of country music’s most enduring songs about loss.
That history made Nettles’ choice especially fitting for a ceremony centered on remembrance. Rather than simply performing a well-known country song, she brought a piece born from Gill’s own experience with grief to a gathering of families carrying their own losses.
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Nettles Opens Up About Singing Through the Grief
After the ceremony, Nettles shared a message with her followers reflecting on the difficulty of performing in front of families who continue to carry the pain of September 11.
She wrote that everyone who was alive at the time remembers where they were when the attacks happened. She also acknowledged how difficult it can be to sing while surrounded by so much emotion, describing the feeling of having emotion “catch in your throat” and the voice as being “sacredly situated between the head and the heart.”
For Nettles, however, the emotional weight was not a reason to stop. She explained that she had to “sing through the sadness” for those who were hurting on the anniversary.
She also expressed gratitude to Fink, Rothenberg and Serrano for joining her onstage, while thanking Gill for giving her his “blessing” to perform the song. Nettles described “Go Rest High on That Mountain” as “an amazing modern hymn.”
Her message offered a glimpse into what the performance meant beyond the music itself. It was not simply another appearance for the singer, but an opportunity to stand before families and help carry a moment of remembrance through song.
The 25th anniversary ceremony at the 9/11 Memorial was centered on the names of those who were killed, read aloud by family members. For Nettles, her voice became part of that remembrance—a way to honor lives lost while acknowledging the grief that remains a quarter-century later.
