Vibes
Rascal Flatts
PNC Music Pavilion
July 25, 2015
When Rascal Flatts took the PNC stage Saturday night for their ‘Riot’ Tour it was to a completely packed venue, where even those with lawn seats had trouble finding a spare stretch of grass.
The country trio (and family: all three of the members are second cousins) has been on the scene since its debut in 2000 and has since sold over 22.5 million albums and 28 million digital downloads, so it’s not surprising.
The 32 city ‘Riot Tour’ is the band’s first tour back after a spring residency at the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas, and while they always roll out the crowd favorites at their shows, this tour was slightly different from those in the past.
Rascal Flatts’ switched things up a bit this time around by not only adding new musicians to their backing band, but bringing three female backup singers into the mix, adding a nice change of pace. The infusion of female vocals also lent itself well to the band’s altered arrangements, like when Rascall Flat’s launched into a new arrangement on “Praying for Daylight” and switched to a more rockabilly and blues sound for old favorites.
The stage set up, while impressive, was actually pretty simple, letting Rascal Flatts’ music be center stage instead of an elaborate series of catwalks and fireworks; a giant video screen behind the trio was basically the only prop, showing a dazzling array of lights and images that complemented rather than distracted from the musicians. It was nice to just be able to focus on the music, no distractions, especially when you’ve got musicians that love their craft and are great at it.
Lead vocalist Gary Levox never fails to impress, especially; the whole band is clearly talented, but Levox has such a strong tenor range that you have to wonder if he’s ever had to practice at his craft. He just comes off as a modest, “aw shucks” guy who somehow happened to be at the forefront of a country movement and is enjoying every minute of it. Especially when he sings songs like “Here Comes Goodbye,” in which his vocal range is tested — and meets every challenge.
The 90-minute show ended with an encore of course, with their popular cover of “Life is a Highway.” It’s a shame that the crowd had thinned out a bit at this point (many families shepherded their sleepy children home around 10), because the band powered through and really delivered a passionate performance of this one despite heat exhaustion being a looming threat.
Rascal Flatts’ are country music veterans at this point, we all know that, but it takes a labor of love to keep the machine rolling and fans coming out. And their live show? It definitely delivers.
Setlist
Stand
Me and My Gang
What Hurts the Most
Love You Out Loud
Why Wait
Riot
Fast Cars and Freedom
Here Comes Goodbye
Easy
These Days
I’m Movin’ On
Prayin’ for Daylight
Summer Nights
I Like the Sound of That
Rewind
My Wish
Take Me There
Bless the Broken Road
Banjo
Here’s to You
Life is a Highway (Tom Cochrane cover)
PNC Music Pavilion
July 25, 2015
The country trio (and family: all three of the members are second cousins) has been on the scene since its debut in 2000 and has since sold over 22.5 million albums and 28 million digital downloads, so it’s not surprising.
The 32 city ‘Riot Tour’ is the band’s first tour back after a spring residency at the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas, and while they always roll out the crowd favorites at their shows, this tour was slightly different from those in the past.
Rascal Flatts’ switched things up a bit this time around by not only adding new musicians to their backing band, but bringing three female backup singers into the mix, adding a nice change of pace. The infusion of female vocals also lent itself well to the band’s altered arrangements, like when Rascall Flat’s launched into a new arrangement on “Praying for Daylight” and switched to a more rockabilly and blues sound for old favorites.
The stage set up, while impressive, was actually pretty simple, letting Rascal Flatts’ music be center stage instead of an elaborate series of catwalks and fireworks; a giant video screen behind the trio was basically the only prop, showing a dazzling array of lights and images that complemented rather than distracted from the musicians. It was nice to just be able to focus on the music, no distractions, especially when you’ve got musicians that love their craft and are great at it.
Lead vocalist Gary Levox never fails to impress, especially; the whole band is clearly talented, but Levox has such a strong tenor range that you have to wonder if he’s ever had to practice at his craft. He just comes off as a modest, “aw shucks” guy who somehow happened to be at the forefront of a country movement and is enjoying every minute of it. Especially when he sings songs like “Here Comes Goodbye,” in which his vocal range is tested — and meets every challenge.
The 90-minute show ended with an encore of course, with their popular cover of “Life is a Highway.” It’s a shame that the crowd had thinned out a bit at this point (many families shepherded their sleepy children home around 10), because the band powered through and really delivered a passionate performance of this one despite heat exhaustion being a looming threat.
Rascal Flatts’ are country music veterans at this point, we all know that, but it takes a labor of love to keep the machine rolling and fans coming out. And their live show? It definitely delivers.
Setlist
Stand
Me and My Gang
What Hurts the Most
Love You Out Loud
Why Wait
Riot
Fast Cars and Freedom
Here Comes Goodbye
Easy
These Days
I’m Movin’ On
Prayin’ for Daylight
Summer Nights
I Like the Sound of That
Rewind
My Wish
Take Me There
Bless the Broken Road
Banjo
Here’s to You
Life is a Highway (Tom Cochrane cover)
