Rascal Flatts’ Career Regret? Not Saying ‘No’ More Often
Rascal Flatts' newest studio album, Back to Us, includes plenty of uptempo tunes that would fit perfectly into a concert setlist -- but the country trio's opportunities to play them live will be few and far between this year. Instead of touring heavily in support of the record, the Flatts will be concentrating on promoting their singles and playing more intimate venues and smaller markets, and looking toward a bigger trek in 2018.
"We’re going to hit some B and C markets -- people that haven’t seen us before," Gary LeVox tells The Boot. "We’re touring -- like, doing A Night With Rascal Flatts -- with smaller venues, and we’ll do the amphitheaters and bigger arenas next year."
Rascal Flatts recently announced that one of those smaller venues will be Las Vegas' Venetian Theatre: In October, they'll play a series of shows, dubbed Rascal Flatts -- A Night to Shine, in the 1,800-seat theater. The Flatts previously performed in Sin City for their 2015 Rascal Flatts Vegas Riot! and their 2016 Rhythm & Roots residencies.
“Vegas just keeps pulling us back in,” LeVox says. “Our previous two residencies were such an amazing experience and opportunity to connect with our fans on a more intimate level. I think moving over to the Venetian will provide a totally different setting and fan experience that we’re really excited about!”
Rascal Flatts made their decision to take it easy, touring-wise, in 2017 with a little help from none other than Faith Hill -- an early-2000s interview with her, specifically.
"[In this interview], she was talking about how she finally learned to say no," Joe Don Rooney recalls. "Because, if you’re fortunate enough as an artist to come to a place where you can say no, it’s a pretty powerful thing to be able to have control to your schedule."
In fact, a little more time to sit back and enjoy their success is something that Rascal Flatts wish they had.
"The one thing I wish that we could have done collectively is slowed down and enjoyed the ride a little more," Jay DeMarcus admits. "It was so fast and so breakneck there for about seven or eight years, and our heads were left spinning. There’s not a lot of time to take deep breaths and soak it all in and make sure you’re enjoying it when it’s happening to you."
Adds LeVox, "We never said no to anything; we just said, ‘Let’s do it, do it, do it, do it.’"
Back to Us is available for purchase on Amazon and iTunes. A list of all of Rascal Flatts' upcoming shows is available on their website.
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