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After a short intermission, the lights dimmed and a recording of Ray Charles singing "America the Beautiful" played. We kept looking at the main stage, and then back at the rear stage, and lo and behold, the music started playing for "Me and My Gang," and the guys were on the rear stage. About halfway through the song, the metal walkway came down between the two stages and they walked to the front.


Next came a medley of "Fast Cars and Freedom," and "I Melt." Then, Jay took the microphone, welcoming everyone to the show. He sang a little "I Feel Good," then proceeded to explain that the group started playing a small bar called "Fiddle & Steel" (I think that was it) in Nashville. They played there quite often, and soon labels were coming in to see them play. They followed their dream and got a record deal from it. They also wanted everyone else to believe in their dreams and follow them, cuz they can come true. This lead into "I Wish," followed by "These Days."

From here Jay and Joe Don made their way back to the rear stage, and Gary must have gone backstage to rest his voice some. Jay and Joe Don said they wanted to play some favorite songs from their albums that weren't singles. They sang "Pieces," "Yes I Do," and "You."

It was just Jay and Joe Don and soon the drummer came to join them, and they let him sing something too. They teased him about his former job working as the drummer in Wham for three years.

Gary came back to the rear stage in time to sing "Winner of a Losing Game." The stage also revolved, so that people could see them from all over, which I thought was really great. We had to turn backwards to see them, but I was happy that the people in the rear, and upper levels could see better now too.

One of my favorite moments was when the guys sang "Backwards." This song was made even better by the cute video material that went with it. There was actually a lot of really good video on the large screens that went all the way across the rear stage. I think it's one of the best video additions I've seen. Occasionally, they'd show part of the video for the song, but other times, it was just things like sunsets and stars, raindrops, and what have you. It really added to my enjoyment of the show.

Another special moment was when they sang "He Ain't the Leaving Kind," and several Marines came out on the stage and stood at attention. It's similar to what Brooks & Dunn have done in "Only in America." Very cool!

For the encore, they sang "Still Feels Good," and "Life is a Highway." All totaled, they played for close to two hours. One of the longest performances I've been too. Well worth the money! I can see why they are up for Entertainer of the Year, and they deserve to win. I love that they take into consideration the fans everywhere, not just in the first few rows. They went back and forth between the front and rear stages several times, so pretty much, no matter where you sat, you had a halfway good view of the show for part of the time. Many artists just have a single stage, and stay there, so I truly appreciated Rascal Flatts making sure everyone got to see them.

It was a wonderful show, and I highly recommend next time Rascal Flatts are in your part of the country, make a point to go see them. For that matter, definitely make a point to see Taylor Swift, as her show is awesome as well. This was towards the end of the "Still Feels Good" tour, and the next tour will start up in the Summer, and it looks like Taylor will continue opening for them. Check 'em out.

Song List:

• Me and My Gang
• Fast Cars and Freedom (m)
• I Melt
• Take Me There
• My Wish
• These Days
• Pieces
• Yes I Do
• You
• Winner of a Losing Game
• Stand
• Feels Like Today
• Backwards
• God Bless the Broken
• Bob That Head
• What Hurts the Most
• He Ain't the Leaving Kind
  
  • Encore:
  • Still Feels Good
  • Life is a Highway