Earlier this year, Rascal Flatts announced that after a Farewell Tour in 2020, the band would be calling it quits. Jay explained, “We haven’t signed a pact to say we’re never going to work together ever again,” but once the 2020 tour was done, Rascal Flatts would be done. And then the Covid-19 pandemic hit, and all of the plans they had for their final year were up-ended.
Joe Don Rooney says, “Going into this year we were gearing up for an emotional year, for sure, and every show was gonna matter just so much more with each one we did. And, wow, just to have your legs cut completely out from under you with all your plans, this has definitely changed all those emotions and all those feelings we thought we’d be feeling.”
Not only was 2020 going to mark the end of an era for Rascal Flatts, but it was also going to be a celebration of their 20th anniversary together as a band. “And so, we had so much that we were looking forward to with this whole year, and this has just completely wiped all that out, explains Joe Don.
So when people ask how they’re feeling and what’s going to happen with Rascal Flatts now, Joe Don says, “It’s almost like a clean slate of emotions going, ‘Well, when, if ever again, can we maybe take what this year was gonna be and apply it to the year ahead, whenever that might be. We just don’t know. We’re completely clueless for what that might be. So the emotions I think have changed a little bit maybe, because now we’re just looking to see what we might be able to do.”
While the tour and everything else Rascal Flatts had planned for this year have been erased, Joe Don says, “The one thing remains true, is that we’re still able to make music and put music out and that’s got us on a pretty good high right now.”
Rascal Flatts will release their new EP, How They Remember You, named after their current single, on July 31st. They also hint that they still have some other surprises up their sleeves in 2020.
Rascal Flatts – mix of emotions of this year :57
Joe Don Rooney – “Going into this year we were gearing up for an emotional year, for sure, and every show was gonna matter just so much more with each one we did. And, wow, just to have your legs cut completely out from under you with all your plans, this has definitely changed all those emotions and all those feelings we thought we’d be feeling. It’s also a celebration of 20 years, which is just an incredible milestone for anything, to be doing it for 20 years is really special. And so, we had so much that we were looking forward to with this whole year, and this has just completely wiped all that out. So, it’s almost like a clean slate of emotions going, ‘Well, when, if ever again, can we maybe take what this year was gonna be and apply it to the year ahead, whenever that might be. We just don’t know. We’re completely clueless for what that might be. So the emotions I think have changed a little bit maybe, because now we’re just looking to see what we might be able to do. But the one thing remains true, is that we’re still able to make music and put music out and that’s got us on a pretty good high right now.”