Fargo, ND review

Rascal Flatts warms up 7,000 at Fargodome event

By Mila Koumpilova,The Forum
Published Saturday, February 12, 2005

Tank tops, short skirts and even sandals made a premature return to Fargo last night.

The Fargodome heated up sufficiently for summertime attire thanks to an early stop by country-music sensation Rascal Flatts along their 2005 “Here’s to You” tour. Many members of the almost 7,000-strong audience also sported cowboy hats -- the signature accessory of Blake Shelton, who opened for the trio.

The performers brought some solid credentials to the Dome. Rascal Flatts were recently recognized for the third consecutive year with the Country Music Association Award for best vocal group. Shelton is a CMA nominee and a darling of genre critics.

But the two acts had radically different appeal.

Shelton was by far the less flamboyant, but the spare set and the occasional simplicity of arrangements served to showcase one of the manliest voices and the most disarmingly down-to-earth personalities in country music.

He kicked off the show -- and effortlessly brought the audience to their feet -- with the spirited and humorous “Good Old Boy, Bad Old Boyfriend,” from his latest, “Blake Shelton’s Barn and Grill.” Midway, he made a detour to his two earlier albums and segued into melancholy “Austin” and “The Baby,” one about losing love, the other about losing a parent. He wrapped up on a lighter note, with the hit “Some Beach.”

Before leaving the stage, Shelton rebuked some well-wishers who had warned him against touring with Rascal Flatts because their fans supposedly don’t understand country music.

The band, including Gary Levox, Jay DeMarcus and Joe Don Rooney, had no qualms about stepping up the pop flavor to their sound that has irked some country-music purists. Often, fiddle solos evolved into hipper-sounding synthesizer beats.

The audience loved it, and outsinging their screams as well as the amped-up sound on stage presented lead singer Levox with a challenge he met with varying degrees of success. His performance of the hit single “I’m Moving On,” from their self-titled debut CD, did the most justice to his vocal range.

Another highlight was their hushed, intimate performance of “Bless the Broken Road,” secure on top of the country charts, that inspired the audience to wave lighters and -- more innovatively -- cell phones, a metaphor for the band’s blending of musical styles.

Readers can reach Forum reporter Mila Koumpilova at (701) 241-5529

Photo caption: Rascal Flatts singer Gary Levox listens for an audience response Friday during the band’s performance at the Fargodome. See concert review, Page B3. Darren Gibbins / The Forum