Rascal Flatts are opening up about a scary security incident at a recent show in Indianapolis, revealing just how terrifying the night was for band members Gary LeVox, Jay DeMarcus and Joe Don Rooney. The men, who were escorted out of the building after the concert abruptly ended, prior to their encore, admit they were frightened by the experience.
The trio initially were just told to evacuate the building, only later finding out it was a bomb threat.
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“You worry for everyone there,” DeMarcus tells Billboard. “We kept saying, ‘Hey, you guys have to tell people. Let them know what’s going on.’”
Even before the Flatts unexpectedly left the venue, officials made certain the guys were safe.
“They had to run the bomb dogs around our buses before we could leave. And then watching everybody leave I just kept picturing Vegas,” says LeVox, referring to the tragic Route 91 Harvest Festival shooting.
Although Rascal Flatts were sad to end the show, they have nothing but praise for the way everything was handled as fans were being led from the Ruoff Home Mortgage Music Center.
“Security in Indy did an amazing job, because they didn’t say ‘there’s a bomb threat,’” Rooney boasts. “They [just] got everybody out of that venue,”
Still, DeMarcus hopes their fans know how disappointed they were to leave before they completed the show.
“Just for the record, we would never do most of our show and decide not to do the encore,” says DeMarcus. “We would never leave our fans hanging if there wasn’t a very valid reason to do so.”
Rascal Flatts immediately took to social media after they left the venue to explain, as best as they could, why they left before their encore – and left fans unhappy.
“Due to a security concern at the show last night, standard procedures were quickly executed and everyone was able to safely leave the building,” Rascal Flatts shared on social media. “The safety of our fans, band and crew is always the top priority for us, so we are so thankful for everyone who jumped into action and for your understanding. We will be back soon!”
Rascal Flatts will wrap up their Back to Us Tour later this year, with Dan + Shay and Trent Harmon joining them for several dates. Find a list of all of their upcoming shows at RascalFlatts.com.
Photo Credit: Getty images/John Lamparsk
