{"id":786,"date":"2012-07-14T19:00:26","date_gmt":"2012-07-14T19:00:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/216.71.127.204\/wordpress\/?p=786"},"modified":"2015-10-13T16:42:52","modified_gmt":"2015-10-13T16:42:52","slug":"rascal-flatts-w-little-big-town-edens-edge-and-thompson-square-woodlands-pavilion-spring-tx","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/houstonmusicreview.com\/wordpress\/2012\/07\/14\/rascal-flatts-w-little-big-town-edens-edge-and-thompson-square-woodlands-pavilion-spring-tx\/","title":{"rendered":"Rascal Flatts w\/ Little Big Town, Edens Edge and Thompson Square – Woodlands Pavilion – Spring, TX"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n
Written by Dave Clements <\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Jul 14, 2012 at 07:00 PM<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"Image\"After almost a week of being \u2018house bound\u2019 because of much needed rain around The Woodlands, it was nice to be outdoors for this evening filled with country music \u2026 or should I say Nashville music?<\/p>\n

The Pavilion show featured Rascal Flatts, with openers Edens Edge, Thompson Square, and Little Big Town, one of my favorites. I\u2019ll get to them in a minute, first some observations on the performances of\u00a0 Edens Edge (EE) and Thompson Square (TS).<\/p>\n

The trio of two women, Hannah Blaylock and Cherrill Green, and slide guitar player Dean Berner all from Arkansas, EE tried hard to get the Texas crowd going.\u00a0\u00a0 They made a valiant effort but in the end they really didn\u2019t get it done.\u00a0 Maybe the multiple mentions of being from Arkansas dampened the crowd\u2019s enthusiasm.\u00a0 Whatever the case, the reaction appeared lukewarm at best.<\/p>\n

TS is a husband and wife duo that hit the Nashville scene awhile back (2010) with their hit \u201cAre You Going To Kiss Me Or Not?\u2019.\u00a0\u00a0 The also put forth their best effort to warm up the crowd.\u00a0 As I reflect on the evening I\u2019m not sure the audience ever did warm up!\u00a0 Both groups made comments about the warm and humid weather.\u00a0 Perhaps the audience was already too hot to \u2018warm up\u2019?<\/p>\n

In my judgment the REAL SHOW started, and perhaps ended, when Little Big Town (LBT) hit the stage.\u00a0 These two guys and two ladies can get it done – NO PROBLEM.\u00a0 Their four part harmonies are wonderful and their music is oh so easy on the ears, chock full of high energy. Their songs often have a country twang, and just as often have all the ingredients for a terrific rock song.\u00a0 They\u2019ve been compared to Fleetwood Mac, and tonight they proved themselves worthy of that comparison.<\/p>\n

You could also hear some Ann Wilson of Heart type vocals woven into the set.\u00a0 Every time I see this band I walk away wondering why they aren\u2019t having bands like Rascal Flatts open for them?\u00a0\u00a0 The best part about the group is they are a group.Although each individual singer (Karen Fairchild, Kimberly Schlapman, Phillip Sweet, and Jimi Westbrook) has a strong presence , the focus never seems to be about one member or another.<\/p>\n

It always comes across that what matters most is the music, the performance, and their collaborative effort. The sound all night was superb, the lighting wonderful, a fact that helped showcase the fact that the members of this group are very easy on the eyes!<\/p>\n

One clear highlight of the evening was LBT playing\u00a0 their new song \u2018Tornado\u2019.\u00a0\u00a0 It will be a cut on their next album, scheduled for release in the Fall.\u00a0\u00a0 I hope it is as good on the record as it was performed live at The Pavilion!<\/p>\n

\"Image\"Also worth noting is band member Kimberly Schlapman virtually stopping the show between songs.\u00a0 She grabbed the mic after sensing a kind of mediocre crowd response and looking a little annoyed shouted \u201cHey people, this ain\u2019t church!\u201d.\u00a0\u00a0 I totally got it.\u00a0 They were up on stage kicking ass and the crowd was just sitting there \u2013 not just in church but maybe attending a\u00a0 funeral?!\u00a0\u00a0 But the \u2018come to Jesus meeting\u2019 worked and success was achieved.\u00a0 The audience got up on their feet and showed more excitement\u00a0 when LBT presented their debut single \u2018Boondocks\u2019.<\/p>\n

This song\u2019s a little too country for me.\u00a0 However their four part harmonies are just so outstanding that I quickly got over it and just enjoyed hearing them nail it with their amazing vocals.\u00a0 Thank you Little Big Town!\u00a0 And some additional photographer\u2019s praise for coming together giving me a great shot, really the first time I got them SHOULDER TO SHOULDER!\u00a0 Woo Hoo!\u00a0 (More on group photography before we end this little review).<\/p>\n

So now on to my views about the headliners of the night, the Prima Donnas of Country Music, Rascal Flatts (RF).\u00a0 They obviously have done something right as they\u2019ve lasted in this business for 12 years.\u00a0 Personally I am going to give a ton of the credit to Mr. Jeffery Steele, one of Nashville\u2019s finest songwriters (along with my friend Mr. Tony \u201cGarth Brooks\u2019 The Dance\u201d Arata, nominee for the Country Music Songwriters Hall Of Fame).\u00a0\u00a0 Steele has created some beautiful masterpieces that I would say many artists could turn into hits! Okay, Gary LeVox does a nice job in interpreting the songs.\u00a0 When you just listen to this band they have a very appealing sound and judging from their legions of fans many agree with me.\u00a0 Where I get cranky is watching their behavior on stage.\u00a0 It\u2019s a perplexing mixture of conceit,\u00a0 pure arrogance, and \u2019I am a Rock Star\u2019 mentality.\u00a0 They put it on and wear it all over the stage.\u00a0 LeVox and DeMarcus have perfected it, and Rooney bounds around like a puppy taking their lead.<\/p>\n

RF have named this tour the \u2018Changed Tour\u2019.\u00a0 Do you wonder what has changed?\u00a0\u00a0 I am going to guess that their management must have heard some of the fan backlash from past performances.\u00a0 These guys have been a little too big for their britches since day one.\u00a0 So, maybe the message was\u00a0 \u2018try working a little closer together, perform as a group versus 3 individual egos and reconnect with your fans\u2019.<\/p>\n

Here is what I can share with you regarding my personal experience comparing this \u2018changed\u2019 performance to the 3 previous shows I have photographed and watched.\u00a0 This time\u00a0 I witnessed some interaction between the three guys, a little playing around amongst them. Gary LeVox actually put his hand on Jay DeMarcus\u2019 shoulder!\u00a0 More importantly they came together side by side more per minute than I had seen per hour in prior concerts – I am NOT exaggerating! At one performance I got one photo of the 3 guys together and I photographed the entire performance.\u00a0 This time I got several and I was only allowed two songs early in the set.<\/p>\n

Finally, to prove my point , they inserted an \u2018Audience Request Block\u2019 in\u00a0 the middle of the set. (Thank God no one requested FREEBIRD!)\u00a0 Honestly, I think \u2018request time\u2019 was the low point of the evening yet I will give them credit for the effort.\u00a0 Again, the LeVox attitude made him appear extremely uncomfortable and frankly a little bored with the entire process.\u00a0 There is no doubt in my mind he was not the driving force of that little exercise.\u00a0 It was obvious his heart wasn\u2019t in it and, I\u2019d say because of this, it failed miserably.<\/p>\n

And, to be fair, Rascal Flatts just does better when they stay with what has brought them over 11 years of success\u2026rehearsed songs and proven hits.\u00a0\u00a0 More credit for audience connection is due for all of the \u2018hand slapping and high fiving\u2019 throughout the show with those fans in the pit.\u00a0 Always a good move as every \u2018slap\u2019 likely represents a fan for life.\u00a0 Backing up all this new effort were LED messages woven into the set and lighting showing \u2018Here\u2019s 2 U\u2019\u00a0 –\u00a0 our fans!<\/p>\n

\"Image\"After the audience request portion, RF managed to lay another egg with their new song \u2018Hot in Here\u2019.\u00a0 After performing the song, which did not sound Rascal Flatts-ish at all,\u00a0 Jay asked the audience, \u201cHow did you like our new single?\u201d.\u00a0 Even with lyrics shouting \u2018Hot, Hot, Hot in here\u2019 the response was (Rascal) Flat and decidedly Cold, Cold, Cold.\u00a0 If they haven\u2019t yet released this song to radio, I\u2019d suggest they go rethink it!<\/p>\n

A Rock medley was their encore and to end on a positive note I thought it was well done. Lots of terrific guitar work with songs that were a nice cross section from one of my favorite genres\u2026ROCK.<\/p>\n

In closing,\u00a0 I\u2019d say this show was the best I\u2019ve seen of Rascal Flatts (minus the \u2018Request Hour\u2019) and their behavior on stage was clearly much better than in the past.\u00a0 \u2018Changed Tour\u2019 seems appropriate.\u00a0\u00a0 Let\u2019s keep it going.\u00a0 I\u2019d like to suggest these guys come out into the audience while Little Big Town is up their on stage giving it their best and see what \u2018Teamwork\u2019 looks and sounds like.\u00a0 Learn to take the \u2018I\u2019 out of\u00a0 Rascal Flatts!<\/p>\n

Until next time please keep it between the navigational beacons.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Written by Dave Clements Jul 14, 2012 at 07:00 PM After almost a week of being \u2018house bound\u2019 because of much needed rain around The Woodlands, it was nice to be outdoors for this evening filled with country music \u2026 or should I say Nashville music? The Pavilion show featured Rascal Flatts, with openers Edens… <\/p>\n

Read More<\/i><\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-786","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-concert-reviews"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/houstonmusicreview.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/786","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/houstonmusicreview.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/houstonmusicreview.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/houstonmusicreview.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/houstonmusicreview.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=786"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/houstonmusicreview.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/786\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":787,"href":"http:\/\/houstonmusicreview.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/786\/revisions\/787"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/houstonmusicreview.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=786"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/houstonmusicreview.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=786"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/houstonmusicreview.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=786"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}