Heartland View

Media Credit: Lynne Cuda

Media Credit: Lynne Cuda

Media Credit: Lynne Cuda

Media Credit: Lynne Cuda

Media Credit: Lynne Cuda

Lights slowly dim inside the Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa and the crowd quietly hushes each other as everyone falls silent. Seconds later, a blast of fireworks erupts inside the enclosed building as the colorful lights flash across audience members' faces. The crowd hysterically gets wild as Gary LeVox, Jay DeMarcus and Joe Don Rooney emerge from below the moving stage.

These guys, better known as Rascal Flatts, began by belting out the title song from their latest album, "Still Feels Good," with those famous country voices. This was one of two stops for the trio in the Midwest area as part of the "Bob That Head" tour, joined by Jessica Simpson.

The group sang the newest, but already all too familiar songs like "Take Me There", "Stand", and "My Wish." Crowd pleasers as well as musicians, each member treated the audience to individual interaction from the stage to the stands.

Jay entertained with a small comedy bit before Joe Don sang "Prayin' for Daylight" as a duet with the Iowa fans. On a heavier note, Gary quickly got serious as he thanked the fans for their continued support, considering the economy and hard times ahead. Financial troubles for everyone in the country were mentioned a few times throughout the show.

"I don't think they sold as many tickets as they thought they would," Mandy Smith said, arena suites employee. "I even noticed that there weren't a lot of people buying concessions, most likely due to the high prices.

They followed their solo time and took fans back to beginning days. Rascal Flatts played some of their first hits including "This Everyday Love" and "I'm Movin' On." Balloons and confetti drifted from the ceiling, hanging from shoulders and hair as they played their final songs, "Me and My Gang" and "Bob That Head" to give their fans a final farewell.

"This was one of the best concerts I've ever been to," Toni Baldwin said. "I liked how they made it a point to get the crowd involved."

Economic hardships or not, Rascal Flatts didn't disappoint because of a small dip in concert attendance. They came out with the typical contagious intense energy that paralleled the brilliant fireworks and vividly lit stage.

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