Rascal Flatts Bring Back Summer Nights in Late-October

“We went crazy cooped up all winter long, and school’s out so let’s get it on,” came the seamless, twang-laden vocals of Gary LeVox as Nashville-raised country group Rascal Flatts took to the stage of the Pengrowth Saddledome in Calgary. “Holler if you’re ready for some summer nights!” LeVox continued, opening the show with one of the band’s recent singles. And on a chilly weekday evening, October 27th, the stronghold of dedicated fans gathered there were more than happy to oblige.

Summer Nights, being the band’s 24th single, shows that Rascal Flatts’ enduring popularity within both the country and pop umbrellas is pretty undisputable. They’ve produced 10 years worth of unapologetically nostalgic, good-feeling, wear-your-heart-on-your-sleeve anthems. And the emotion definitely wasn’t far behind during the Calgary show – a concert that included pyrotechnics, laser beams, and videos.

The set continued with several fan-favourites from albums past – including Stand, Me and My Gang, and Bless the Broken Road. Each of them were soaring sing-a-longs complete with screens, smoke, and fireworks, all strung together by the band’s personality and on-stage humour.

A major highlight, however, came during a piano set, “front-porch style,” as the group described it (The piano, of course, had been lowered from the ceiling – maybe not so “front-porch,” after all). The medley that followed even included a solid rendition of Bill Withers’ Lean on Me. It wasn’t the only surprise song to pop up in the set list; later on, the crowd was privileged to hear a fiddle-solo of O! Canada.”

Other highlights included a lively encore of the Beatles’ Revolution – although the classic rock-purist inside me did cringe a little – and Rascal Flatts’ popular cover of the Tom Cochrane hit Life is a Highway. For both, the group was joined onstage by opening act Darius Rucker, a newcomer to the country scene.

Formerly of Hootie and the Blowfish, Rucker recently relaunched himself under the country genre to immediate success; his first three singles reached number one on the country music charts. He put on an incredible show in his own right, playing hits like Don’t Think I Don’t Think About It and Alright off the debut album Learn to Live. Donning blue jeans and a Tiger Woods ball cap, Rucker looked sincere and relaxed – and it wouldn’t be surprising if his own career went on to match the breadth of Rascal Flatts’.

As much as the newcomer’s performance was an awesome surprise, the majority of this show was tailor-made for the fans who have every lyric memorized – the ones who already have a closet-full of Rascal Flatts concert t-shirts to break out. If you’re turned off by the group’s brand of unabashed emotion and theatrics, the evening would not have sat well with you. A word of advice though to the group that can’t stomach the fireworks and nostalgia and ceiling-strung pianos – bypass the sentiment and you’re also missing out on a party!