Expect everyone. A Noah’s ark of Syracuse socialites.

The teenyboppers will be up front, swooning and singing – a swirl of numbered Abercrombie gear that knows every word and screams every lyric.

The honky-tonkers will float to the back, away from the center stage. They’ll be a bit quieter, their leathered faces hidden in the shadows, their mustaches obscuring their baritone sing-along.

The city folk will find their seats. They’ll know Rascal Flatts’ hits from the radio. They’ll be intrigued to hear more. And together, they’ll be at the OnCenter this Saturday at 8:00 p.m. to hear country music’s newest variation on modern style, a sound that might best be described as one part Garth, one part Merle and two parts Backstreet.

Though some knock Rascal Flatts for their made-for-the-charts harmonies and too-smooth looks, the country trio’s style creates an odd phenomenon: it attracts a tremendously wide – and seemingly incompatible – fan base.

So say it as you want:

‘Oh my god, I can’t believe they’re coming.’

‘Them country acts don’t come through these parts so much as they used to.’

‘Hey, this sound is pretty cool.’

Responses come in all pitches and sounds, and Rascal Flatts gladly takes every one of them. In the last four years, the group has become one of the most popular in country music, the male gender’s answer to the Dixie Chicks. For the last month, the trio of Jay DeMarcus, Gary LeVox and Joe Don Rooney has been touring, as so many country acts must do, many of the dreariest, rustiest, Motel 6 cities in America – Salina, Kan.; Huntington, W.Va.; Kalamazoo, Mich. (Just to name a few.)

Now, they’ll be in downtown Syracuse, joined by opening act Brian McComas. Country rocker Chris Cagle had originally been scheduled as part of the show, but ‘vocal cord issues’ have knocked him from the tour.

Rascal Flatts has only released two full-length albums, the first in 2000 and its latest, Melt, in 2002. Therefore, the group can’t offer a mixed bag of oldies and classics and new material. But even with just 22 released tracks, the guys of Rascal Flatts have produced an inordinate number of hits.

Singles like ‘I’m Moving On’ and ‘Prayin’ for Daylight’ gave the band its start, turning the debut effort into a platinum album – a rare accomplishment for an unestablished country act.

Today, Rascal Flatts is established. No question. Four songs from their 2002 album play regularly on Syracuse’s country station, 104.7 WBBS-FM. ‘These Days’ is the first track on Melt, and also the first single. Tracks three, four and seven resemble, in pure musical strength, the middle of an all-star batting order – say, the 1989 Oakland A’s – where each spot provides something different but powerful. ‘I Melt’ is an up-and-down, soft-and-loud love ditty. ‘Mayberry’ is a catchy ode to old times. ‘Love You Out Loud’ is the type of song written for summer days and convertible audio systems.

Content-wise, Rascal Flatts songs lack much variety. Some are about amorous love. Others are about lost love. That’s about as diverse as these guys get. Yet what they lack lyrically, they compensate for with a strong range of beats and melodies. And for now, Rascal Flatts is discovering that even that small measure of range can generate an audience that’s both wide and passionate.

Published on February 26, 2004 at 12:00 pm