Rascal Flatts tickets are a chance to see a duo that seemingly came from nowhere to take the country music scene by storm. Their rise has been meteoric, but their advancement has not been without controversy. However, controversy or not, this is a band that no one had heard of just a few years ago, and as of now their records and their concerts always create a vibe among country music fans that’s unmistakable. A look at their roots and their rise may help explain how this band has become such a phenomenon.
Early Beginnings
The band’s members are Jay DeMarcus, who was born in Columbus, Ohio in 1971. DeMarcus got his start with a Christian band named East to West in the early 1990’s while he was a student at Lee University in Tennessee. DeMarcus plays the piano, guitar, drums, and bass, and he is known to have the ability to do just about anything with a musical instrument.
The other band member is Gary LeVox, and he is DeMarcus’ second cousin. LeVox was born in 1970, also in Columbus, and he grew up a fan of all types of music. Earl Thomas Connelly, Stevie Wonder, Randy Travis, Merle Haggard and George Jones are all considered influences on LeVox and his style, and he does most of the writing for the duo.
After DeMarcus got his start with East to West, he decided to team up with LeVox to see where their collective talents could take them. They started playing the club scene in Ohio and Tennessee, and the Rascal Flatts were soon a big hit within these smaller scenes.
Discovery and Rise
The band was soon discovered after record executives had a hard time securing Rascal Flatts tickets, but once they were seen, they were soon signed. They released their debut full-length album in 2000, and it was a huge hit. Rascal Flatts went double-platinum and rose to number three on the country charts, but that was only the beginning. Their next three releases all rose to number one on the country charts and all went multiple-platinum. 22 of their singles from these albums have hit the country charts, and an amazing five number one hits.
Controversy
Like many bands, Rascal Flatts has been through its share of controversy. Their 2003 video for “I Melt” was met with harsh criticism based on the fact that it contained brief nudity. This surprised many long-time fans given the fact that DeMarcus got his start with a Christian band. Several groups and individuals clamored to have the video removed from CMT.
However, the band reached a compromise by putting together an edited version of the video that ran during the day. Even though the video incident was controversial, it did raise the profile of the band and remove any assumptive label that they were a country/Christian hybrid band.
Overall, Rascal Flatts has enjoyed a meteoric rise in the industry, and Rascal Flatts tickets will show you why this band will be topping the charts for years to come.