Rascal Flatts went on hiatus in 2020, reuniting five years later for their 25th Anniversary tour in 2025. Since then, the group has continued to be back on the road, and they’re currently out on their Life Is A Highway Tour.
During a recent interview with Big D & Bubba, Rascal Flatts member Jay DeMarcus talked about reuniting with bandmates Gary LeVox and Joe Don Rooney for their recent rounds of touring, explaining that their time off the road has led them to further appreciate the time spent on it.
“It’s been so much fun being back on the road with these guys, obviously, but I missed playing the music,” he said. “The break was good in the sense that I think we all have a deeper appreciation for what we do now and what we’ve been able to do. It’s been such a great blessing to feel and see the fans again.”
Rascal Flatts had initially scheduled a farewell tour for 2020, but that run was scrapped due to the COVID-19 pandemic. DeMarcus called that a “blessing in disguise,” explaining that he and the other two members of the trio “grew a lot and changed a lot as people,” specifically pointing to Rooney’s sobriety, which he entered into after he was arrested for DUI in 2021.
“Joe Don went through his very public transformation there when he hit that tree and went off to rehab, and I couldn’t be more proud of him and how he’s turned his life around,” DeMarcus said. “It’s remarkable, and I’m so proud of him and the man that he is right now. And it’s just, the three of us together now is different, but it’s more special in so many different ways.”
When asked whether he, LeVox, and Rooney have their own tour buses, DeMarcus confirmed the question and joked, “That’s why we get along.” “We do have our own buses,” he said. “Gary lives on a big farm south of town, so we’re kind of spread out from each other, so it makes more sense for us to do our own thing.”
The Life Is A Highway Tour began on January 15 in Raleigh, North Carolina, and will visit a total of 21 cities across the United States, including Nashville, Chicago, Oklahoma City, Pittsburgh, and more, before finishing up in Buffalo, New York, on February 28. Lauren Alaina and Chris Lane, who previously supported Rascal Flatts on their 25th anniversary tour last year, will continue on the road with the group for their latest run.
DeMarcus told The Tennessean ahead of the group’s Nashville show on February 5 that the new run “feels like we were picking up right where we left off.” Reflecting on the tour’s name, he noted that the phrase “life is a highway” can mean “so many things.”
“Life is a highway that takes you on a lot of twists and turns. And it certainly seemed to be fitting for where we’ve been in the last years,” he said, adding, “I think that gave us all the ability to recalibrate, maybe realize how special what we have together really, really is, and we have appreciation for it now.”
Rascal Flatts are currently on the road on their Life Is A Highway Tour.
