Posted on 01/29/2004 9:08:43 PM PST by smith288
 Statesman/Kati McQueen
Joe Don Rooney, of Rascal Flatts, plays guitar on Friday night at the Hulman Center. |
All it took for the audience to erupt at the Hulman Center Friday night were for the lights to go down and three men to enter the stage from an elevator. Rascal Flatts members Gary Levox, Jay DeMarcus and Joe Don Rooney had the easy task of performing before a primed and pumped country crowd.
Wearing cowboy hats and boots, flannel shirts and those tight fittin' jeans, fans were ready for Cledus T. Judd, Brian McComas and Rascal Flatts to fill Terre Haute with country music.
Chris Cagle was scheduled to open for Racal Flatts, but he canceled because of a throat condition. Cledus T. Judd filled in for him.
Judd, wearing a blue suede shirt and tennis shoes, opened the show with his cynical sense of humor by singing "It's a Great Day to be a Guy," mocking the song, "It's a Great Day to Be Alive," by Travis Tritt. The song was about a husband getting the house to himself while his wife went on a trip. It demonstrated how much trouble a guy can get into without his wife to take care of certain things.
Judd also thrashed the Dixie Chicks for their negative statements about George W. Bush. The Dixie Chicks' Natalie Mains recently wore a shirt at an awards show that said "FUTK," badmouthing fellow country music star Toby Keith. Judd twisted the acronym around, saying it stood for "Found Underneath Table Kneeling." He then contributed a song called "Natalie," in the tune of "Celebrity" by Brad Paisley, mocking the Dixie Chicks' lead singer.
Country music newcomer Brian McComas appeared on stage, getting the crowd into his performance by singing the radio hits "You're In My Head" and "99.9% Sure." He also played several tracks off of his self-titled album.
Judd appeared onstage in between acts singing "My Crowd" in the tune of "My Town" by Montgomery Gentry. The song was about how his fans meant everything to him. He even personalized the song for Terre Haute fans.
After Judd, the lights went out and the crowd started screaming. Rascal Flatts entered the stage on an elevator with girls dancing on a backdrop balcony behind them.
Before slowing the concert down, Racal Flatts started the show off with fast and upbeat songs that kept everyone standing up.
"This Everyday Love," "While You Loved Me," "I'm Movin' On" and "Melt" were just some of the hits that the audience got to hear.
Rascal Flatts members then took the audience to Nashville with a backdrop cloth that displayed the Fiddle and Steel Guitar Bar, where they first got started.
"Do not give up on your dreams," DeMarcus told the audience. "Follow through and never let anyone bring you down."
A blue piano was brought on stage for DeMarcus to play.
"My dad taught me when I was growing up," he said. "Let's see if I can remember a little bit."
Some of the greatest hits of all time were played to get the Hulman Center audience to sing along. Flatts played covers of Garth Brooks' "the River," Billy Joel's "Piano Man," and Bob Seger's "Old Time Rock 'N' Roll." All three songs had the crowd singing at the top of their lungs and louder than the members of Rascall Flatts.
Following a few softer songs, like radio hit "These Days," Rascal Flatts ended their show with their first hit, "Prayin' for Daylight." Following a brief absence from the stage, the members returned for a rocking encore featuring more original tracks and covers.
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| Statesman/Kati McQueen Two members of the band Rascal Flatts get down on Friday night in the Hulman Center. |
I wrote them, telling them I could not in good conscience continue advertising with them, and cut them off again. I recently succumbed, as I felt it was hurting my business, the point had been made, and the people I was dealing with were local, and just victims of the corporate culture of Clear Channel. They sent me a CD of Rascal Flats which I haven't played yet, now I know why they sent it to me.
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