Rascal Flatts planning 'many trips' to Aus

Jay Demarcus, Gary LeVox and Joe Don Rooney of Rascal Flatts. Picture: AP Source: news.com.au

CMC Rocks The Hunter attracted 10,000 music fans to Hope Estate in The Hunter Valley. Picture: news.com.au Source: news.com.au

THEY'VE sold more than 21 million albums, had 13 singles hit the top of the charts and have spent more than eight months collectively at number one.

Rascal Flatts are a country supergroup in every sense of the world.

So it's hard to believe that the American trio have never even held a ticketed event outside the US.

Until now.

The Flatts chose Australia to host their first international concert, headlining CMC Rocks the Hunter after playing sideshows in Brisbane and Melbourne.

Playing to a 10,000 strong crowd at Hope Estate in the Hunter Valley, Rascal Flatts closed the festival to a swarm of fans who'd travelled up 800kms to see them live.

Lead singer Gary LeVox told news.com.au backstage at CMC Rocks that it had been a long-awaited ambition of theirs to make it Down Under.

"We've been trying for many, many years and for whatever reason, our schedule hasn't seemed to allow it," LeVox told news.com.au, "but all I can say is it has been very very good to finally make our way over here.

"There's a tonne of people who come to this awesome festival and I think it's exceeded what we thought and it's been a really nice shot in the arm for us to get us fired up again.

"We're going to make history tonight together."

The even better news for their legion of fans is that it's certainly not the last time the group will set foot on Aussie soil and they are already planning an extended return trip.

"This is going to be the first of many trips for us to Australia," Jay DeMarcus added. "We've had an amazing time, the people have been great, the weather's been great, the food's been incredible and we just can't wait to come back to come back and do Perth and do the rounds. It'd be awesome to spend a couple of months here and knock it all out."

Gwen Childs and her husband Graham were among many of the festival-goers dressed in Rascal Flatts T-Shirts. 

The pair said they had travelled almost 800m from their home on the Gold Coast to see them play.

"When we heard they were coming (to Australia), we were beside ourselves," she told news.com.au. "We just love them. I would have driven 2,000 kilometres just to see them live."

CMC Rocks the Hunter - now in it's sixth year - was held on the weekend of 15-17 March and hosted up to 40 local and international acts including Rascal Flatts, Big & Rich, McAlister Kemp, The Band Perry, Adam Brand and The Le Garde Twins. 

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