Fans want more of Rascal Flatts

RASCAL FLATTS, EnergySolutions Arena, Friday

If tens of thousands of people are willing to shell out upward of $60 apiece to see a band perform live, it's safe to say you have a lot of fans.

It is likely just as safe, then, that these people came to see you perform your own music, not covers of karaoke bar favorites "Hotel California," "Jessie's Girl" and "Sweet Home Alabama." Throw in some AC/DC and Aerosmith instrumental interludes, and even the most loyal fan's attention may start to stray.

And that's where country music megagroup Rascal Flatts faltered Friday night in front of a sold-out crowd at EnergySolutions Arena.

When the trio performed their own hits, compiled over the past seven years and four albums, nothing could stop them. Such high-energy singable tunes as "Love You Out Loud," "Me and My Gang" and "Mayberry" had the crowd on its feet and dancing in the aisles, at least until the blue-coat security guards arrived to shoo them back into their seats.

And lest anyone forget Rascal Flatts' success with heartbreaking ballads, lead singer Gary LeVox, bassist Jay DeMarcus and guitarist Joe Don Rooney had audience members swaying in their seats with "Skin (Sarabeth)," "I'm Movin' On" and "God Bless the Broken Road." The latter brought the most tender offstage moment of the night, when a young man on bended knee proposed to his girlfriend, drawing cheers from the crowd and tears from the very happy young woman.

Throughout the show, an impressive television-clad stage with images that kept the mood appropriately high or low, depending on the music. And at one point, the trio traveled on a chunk of the stage over the floor seats to a stage in the back, causing near conniptions for the folks in previously mediocre seats.

The trio kept the talking to a minimum during their two-hour set, which is just as well because the few conversational moments dragged on a little too long. DeMarcus made prolonged comments about the tendency of Rascal Flatts' concerts to turn into ladies' nights, noting "there's, like, 12 dudes here." And Rooney, the purported sex symbol of the group, played coy with the audience in an awkward attempt to build anticipation for his onstage solo.

The only exception to the original music rule previously proposed was the show-closing "Life is a Highway," most recently made famous by the late country legend Chris LeDoux. Flatts has had huge success with the song after recording it last year for the animated movie, "Cars."

Relative newcomer Jason Aldean opened the show with a 40-minute set that included his hits "Amarillo Sky" and "Hicktown." Taking a cue from his hosts, Aldean also visited Cover Town with his version of Guns 'N' Roses' "Sweet Child O' Mine."

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E-mail: awelling@desnews.com