By Priscilla Campbell \ Staff Writer \ pcampbell@nlrtimes.com
Friday, March 14, 2008 10:37 AM CDT
The members of country music trio Rascal Flatts proved they are true entertainers at their three-hour concert March 1.
The group performed before 11,361 fans at Alltel Arena in North Little Rock.
After the opening act and intermission, the lights went out and on they came amid smoke rising from the middle of the stage and lightning flashing across a large video screen. The crowd reacted with excitement and anticipation.
While the back-up band rose from beneath the main stage, the trio appeared on a platform at the opposite side of the arena floor singing “Me and My Gang” while fireworks shot from the back of the set. “Me and My Gang” got the crowd pumped up for rest of the show.
A bridge lowered from the ceiling gave Rascal Flatts access to the main stage where lead vocalist Gary Levox, along with vocalist and guitarist Jay DeMarcus and vocalist and guitarist Joe Don Rooney, presented something like a real-life Alvin and the Chipmunks, each with their own image — Levox the diva in his glitter-covered pants and shirt, Rooney the rocker and DeMarcus the comedian.
Levox said to the crowd, “It’s a party going on in North Little Rock, Arkansas!” DeMarcus, having the voice of a teenage girl, did a short act making fun of girls talking on their cell phones to their friends; the audience laughed and loved it. Rooney drove the women wild; they screamed and yelled for him, as he rocked out on his guitar throughout the show.
During “My Wish,” Levox had a little girl around 10 years old come up on stage from the audience. The group performed their hits “Bless the Broken Road,” “Feels Like Today,” “I Melt,” “Fast Cars and Freedom,” “What Hurts the Most” and “These Days”; the crowd sang along with the songs, and during “What Hurts the Most,” the music video for the song was displayed on the video screen. Their hit songs sounded just as good in person as they do on the radio.
Rascal Flatts slowed down the concert with songs such as “Yes I Do” and “You.” It felt as thought the audience was in the recording studio with the group as the members talked back and forth to one another other between songs. Rooney ended the set with a guitar solo version of “American Woman,” which drove the women in the audience wild as they yelled and cheered for him. It was surprising they weren’t throwing their clothes at him.
When Rascal Flatts sang “Feels Like Today,” a sun was displayed on the video screen and the spotlights were brought up until it felt like you were looking directly at the sun without the heat. For the encore, the group sang “Still Feels Good” and “Life Is a Highway.”
Rascal Flatts could have been a rock and roll band because of the way the members danced with energy during all their songs. They will someday be country music legends, if they are not already.
The opening act was American Idol Season 5 hopeful Kellie Pickler, who made it to top six in 2005 before being voted off the show. Pickler was comfortable for the concert, wearing bluejeans with a black tank top. She treated the crowd like close friends, talking to them about her songs before singing them. Her hit “Things That Never Cross a Man’s Mind” proved to be good sing-along as the audience joined in, and during the guitar solo in “Didn’t You Know How Much I Loved You,” Pickler danced back and forth softly. But “Small Town Girl” proved repetitive as she kept singing the words “small town girl” over and over. Before singing “I Wonder,” Pickler told the audience the song was her story; she sat on a stool and every time she paused during the song, the audience cheered and clapped.
She prefaced “One of the Guys” by telling the crowd that men don’t realize how hard it is to be a woman and that sometimes it’s more fun to just be one of the guys.
Pickler then wowed the crowd with her version of Dolly Parton’s “9 to 5.” People got out of their seats and started singing and dancing with her. Dolly would have been proud.
She ended with “Red High Heels,” which again proved that she performs great sing-alongs.
Even if you don’t listen to country music, Rascal Flatts and Kellie Pickler would still have been a great show to see.
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