After a summer of sold-out concerts across the nation, being on the road “Still Feels Good” to chart-topping country trio Rascal Flatts. So with the last concert of the 2008 season just a month away, the band announced that they will extend their Bob That Head Tour into 2009 with pop singer Jessica Simpson booked as the opening act.
According to the announcement on the band’s Web site, the new leg of the tour is slated to start in mid-January. Approximately 25 shows are on the books, with specific information about dates, cities and on-sales to be announced later this fall.
“There is nothing more we love about music than performing across America on tour for our fans,” lead singer Gary LeVox said in the announcement.
Rascal Flatts kicked off the 2008 tour on June 13 in St. Louis, MO, with opening support from the chart-topping country newcomer Taylor Swift and songwriters Neil Thrasher and Wendell Mobley. The trek continues with an October 9 performance at Resch Center in Green Bay, WI, and wraps with the group’s November 1-2 set at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, CT.
Since their eponymous debut in 2000, Rascal Flatts has resided at the top of the U.S. album charts. The band has had four consecutive albums peak at No. 1 on the country charts and three consecutive records chart at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. With all of their albums RIAA-certified Multi-Platinum and more than a dozen Top 5 singles, the band had plenty of material for their first “Greatest Hits” volume, due out October 28.
“We dreamed some big dreams. We were looking for the rocket ride. But I don’t think we ever dreamed the things that have happened to us,” lead guitarist Joe Don Rooney said of the band’s rise to stardom. “Everybody in the industry sees the same charts and sales figures every week, and for us to see our names at the top of those lists gives [us] a whole different perspective. It’s gratifying and it’s humbling.”
Best known for her pop songs, Simpson recently released her country-crossover, “Do You Know,” on September 9. Though the album received lukewarm reviews, it peaked at No. 1 on the country charts and at No. 4 on the Billboard 200. The upcoming Rascal Flatts tour will be Simpson’s first long-term road test for the material in the U.S., since she booked only a handful of shows late in the summer to support the release.
