Your Country's Right Here: Rascal Flatts Offers Fans Music, Stars And A Wedding Chapel, Too!

posted in: Country • Music News

Rascal Flatts are used to fans asking for autographs on unique items.

That’s happened even more since the recent release of the band’s sixth studio album Nothing Like This, which debuted at No. 1 on the country music charts. That makes this album, the trio’s first on the Big Machine label, it’s sixth consecutive studio album to debut at No. 1 on the country album sales charts. As much as the trio wants to satisfy fan requests, though, one at the CMA Music Festival earlier this month in Nashville, gave them pause.

“Country music fans are the best, truly,” said Joe Don Rooney just before the band launched its Flatts Fest tour last Saturday, June 18, in Bristow, VA. “The fans always want something signed and we’ve seen some very unique articles of clothing and other items. One fan, though, wanted us to sign her [eight-month-old] baby’s forehead. We just can’t sign a baby’s forehead! We aren’t sure what the ink would do! Sometimes I wonder if fans are sorry they had us sign things. Maybe they get home and think ‘That was my favorite shirt. Why did I have them sign it?'”

Such regrets aren’t very likely, though, as evidenced by the sold out concerts, multi-million selling records and demands for the group to appear and perform at high-profile gigs ranging from the GRAMMY Awards to Oprah’s final television show. Rooney talked about how the fans are the reason the band has continued to thrive and grow even after ten years.

That’s one reason the band has turned Flatts Fest into a full extravaganza featuring everything from a real wedding chapel (complete with preacher), karaoke, memorabilia (think of Rooney’s first golf club) and horseshoe competitions. All of that will take place the afternoons preceding the shows that include Easton Corbin, Justin Moore, Sara Evans and, of course, Rascal Flatts.

“This is going to be very different for the fans and for us,” said Rooney. “As we’ve toured the last six years, we’ve tried to develop different ideas for Flatt Fest. Now we are finally able to bring it out for the world to see!”

That includes the concert, of course, with fan favorites and plenty of new songs. Although he made no promises about what was in store at each city””I can’t give away all of our secrets””the band will play the Lionel Richie tune “Dancing on the Ceiling.”

They recently recorded the song with the R&B legend and it will released later this year. Richie fans will be in for a treat at all of the shows, too, Rooney hinted.

“We just want to give back to our fans,” said Rooney. “That what this is all about.”

Rooney knows what that means to fans. When he was ten years old, long before he thought of a career in music, he met Vince Gill.

“I remember him shaking my hand and signing an autograph for me. I still have it,” said Rooney, who now counts Gill among his personal friends. “It says ‘Keep on pickin”. I told him he was quite the fortune teller. I hadn’t even started playing music then!”

Find out more about Rascal Flatts, including concert dates, on the band’s  Web site.