Go Fest - Rascal Flatts 2010 Nothing Like This Tour in Irvine

Last night I sat in the orchestra tenth row at the completely sold out Verizon Wireless Amphitheater to watch Rascal Flatts finish the first leg of their "Nothing Like This Tour" in Irvine, CA. This tour is their ten year anniversary tour celebrating ten years together as Rascal Flatts.

Gofest was put on by GoCountry 105 and was originally scheduled for the week before but was canceled just a few days before the show because one of the band members reportedly fell ill and was unable to perform. Many fans were disappointed at the reschedule, returning their tickets for a refund because they would not be able to attend the rescheduled date the following weekend.

Nontheless, Rascal Flatt fans are loyal and resilient, so most of the concert goers took on an flexible, adaptable approach and showed up smiling and cheering the following weekend for this top country band!

Changing the date for this Rascal performance, however, did create a kink in the line-up. Originally scheduled to perform were country music stars Kelly Pickler and Chris Young.

Instead, the Rascal Flatts concert opened with The Jane Dear Girls who are gaining reputation for their hit "Wildflower." Honestly, I could have done without them. They were cutesy but off pitch and besides the violin talent they didn't seem to have anyplace at this concert. They also were just not suitable replacements for Kelly Pickler or Chris Young.

Following The Jane Dear Girls was Sara Evans. Now there is a girl who knows how to sing! She was absolutely incredible and a worthy if not more exciting replacement for the original lineup. She sang fan favorites like "Suds in the Bucket" and "Could Not Ask For More" which sounded better than on the radio. Sara Evans is definitely a polished live performer and that girl can sing alongside the best performers in the world. 

Unlikely guests appeared at the Rascal Flatts concert at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in Irvine... The first was a celebrity spotting, Eva Longoria, sitting noticeably in the wings watching her gal pal Sara Evans perform before Rascal. Sara Evans gave a shout out to the Desperate Housewives star who then raised her hands and clapped in support of Sara. Fans all wildly shifted their gave over to Eva when Sara finally shouted "No, don't look at Eva! Look over here!" It was pretty comical actually. Eva Longoria then got up from where she had been sitting in the wings and disappeared further out of sight so as not to disrupt the rest of Sara Evan's performance.

The next unexpected guest appearance was Orianthe. For those who don't know who that is, she was the lead guitarist meant to go on tour with Michael Jackson on his "This Is It Tour." This girl can rock and she actually blended very well with Rascal Flatts. However, it led me to wonder if she is trying to break into the country music fan market because she also made a guest appearance two weeks ago at the Hollywood Bowl with Carrie Underwood. Hmmm.

I have been a fan of Rascal Flatts for several years but have never had the amazing opportunity to see them live. Here is what I can now confirm:

These guys can really sing! Seriously, these country and pop cross over stars were really on point!

These boys are funny! Throughout the show, each band member took a few minutes to talk to the audience and man do these guys love to have a good time. One band member had the front orchestra turn around and give a wave out to the Rascal Flatts fans who were way up in the bleachers because he claimed they deserved some love and were practically "in another zipcode."

He also decided to share an imitation of a few of his fans (doing an older woman voice) who send "hate mail" after concerts when the song they walked down the aisle to or the hit that was played at their daughter's high school prom wasn't played. If you had never seen Rascal Flatts perform live before, you definitely would have grasped the idea that these guys are real performers.

Ironically though, the song he mentioned in the joke about a woman complaining that she didn't hear it at the concert - "My Wish" - wasn't played last night! Although they mentioned that they were going to try to play as many hits from over the years as they could, the band was actually very selective over what country hits they decided to play.

With over a dozen hit records that all have number one hits on the country charts, the setlist for the Rascal Flatts concert was noticeably upbeat.

The one ballad they did play, "God Bless the Broken Road," was even brightened up with the intro and exit of the song being replaced with a cover of Journey's "With Open Arms." Otherwise, all the other songs of the night had fans on their feet dancing, cheering, and singing the lyrics. 

If you're a fan of Rascal Flatts, you must see them live. Last night they were phenomenal and proved exactly why Rascal Flatts is one of the top country music bands of all time. 

If you love Rascal Flatts and enjoyed my review, please click on the VOTE UP button below! Also, feel free to share this review with your friends! Thanks! :)