Rascal Flatts Announce 2015 Las Vegas Residency
It’s barely been one month since Rascal Flatts‘ cross-country Rewind Tour came to a close in Atlantic City, and the country harmony trio has already booked its next round of shows. Starting on February 25, 2015, Rascal Flatts will perform a nine-concert residency at the Joint, a 4,000-seat venue inside Las Vegas’ Hard Rock Hotel and Casino.
While Shania Twain, Garth Brooks and Tim McGraw and Faith Hill have all performed multiple shows in Las Vegas showrooms, Flatts’ engagement marks the first Vegas club residency by a country artist. Setting up shop inside the Joint at the Hard Rock, the trio follows in the footsteps of harder-hitting rock groups like Def Leppard, Guns n’ Roses and, most recently, Kiss, who have all called the venue home for extended periods. (Motley Crue was the first hard rock group to launch a Vegas residency).
The so-called “Rascal Flatts Vegas Riot!” will downsize the group’s usual audience by roughly 75 percent. After spending the summer in amphitheaters and arenas, the Flatts will make good use of the Joint’s cozier layout by placing less emphasis on the shows’ production and more importance on the band’s songs and signature harmonies. As far as Las Vegas country shows are concerned, that means “Rascal Flatts Vegas Riot!” will have more in common with Garth Brooks’ stripped-down residency at Wynn’s Encore Theater than, say, Shania Twain’s 105-show run at Caesars Palace Colosseum, which featured confetti cannons, a six-member dance troupe, an onstage campfire and a climatic performance of “You’re Still the One” delivered from the saddle of a white horse.
In a press statement, bass player Jay DeMarcus promised a unique show that was “up close, intimate and personal.” Although the residency currently ends on Saturday, March 14th, Rascal Flatts may extend their Las Vegas run if the initial concerts go smoothly.