At 7:30 on Sunday night, the Bryce Jordan Center will be playing host to reigning Country Music Association (CMA), Academy of Country Music (ACM) and ASCAP Vocal Group of the Year Rascal Flatts. Opening up for the Flatts will be the hot country duo of Chris Cagle and Julie Roberts.

The country sensations will be stopping by State College on the seventh leg of their twenty-eight city Here's to You tour.

"There are plenty of seats but time's running out so you need to get those tickets now," Bryce Jordan director of sales and marketing Bernie Punt said.

Some people might remember this band's trio of Jay DeMarcus, Joe Don Rooney and Gary Levox when, in 2002, they opened up the Bryce Jordan Center for Toby Keith. The band has also opened up for the legendary Alan Jackson.

"It was just incredible," Rooney said. "Then we met Alan on his bus and he told us how special he thought 'I'm Movin' On' was and how he thought we sang the fire out of it. Having one of your heroes say something like that to your face is something I'll remember for a long time."

This will be the Rascals Flatts' second time returning to State College but the first time headlining.

For those unfamiliar with the band, State College will be welcoming some real celebrities with this Nashville trio, which came together five years ago. The band's new single, "Feels like Today," can be heard on any country radio station.

"I'd say they are one of the top five new country bands out these days," WQBR-FM station co-owner Dave Stratton said. "They have a real main stream Kenny Chesney or Alan Jackson feel. We play the heck out of 'em."

The band has three albums to its name. The group's self titled Rascal Flatts came out in 2000 and released the single "I'm Movin' On," which catapulted the group to stardom with platinum sales.

"The song 'I'm Movin' On' became bigger than us," vocalist DeMarcus said. "It's one of those songs with such a powerful message it can move anybody in any phase of life. If you're 12 and lose a parent, 35 and going through a divorce, or 70 and losing somebody to cancer, you've got to face moving on. It's a universal song that really did more than we expected. It's turned our lives upside-down."

The band received the 2002 CMA Horizon Award and ACM's Song of the Year award for "I'm Movin' On."

In 2002 the group followed up its success by going platinum again in only a few months with the release its second album Melt. The album contains the sultry ballad "I Melt."

Rascal Flatts' latest September release of Feels like Today propelled the band into the No. 1 position on Billboard's Top 200 Album Chart this week for all formats.

"It's awesome to see people responding so well to music that really came from your soul," DeMarcus said. "It's been almost surreal. I keep waiting to wake up."

In between recording three albums the band also contributed songs to the We Were Soldiers soundtrack and Disney's The Emperor's New Groove

Perhaps the band's positive energy comes from vocal and instrumentalist DeMarcus who was previously a member of the Christian group East to West. DeMarcus managed to convince his second cousin and future group-mate Gary Levox to move from their humble beginnings in Columbus, Ohio to Nashville hoping to make it big. Before becoming a professional vocalist, Levox worked full time at The Ohio Department of Mental Retardation and later started playing full time.

"We started writing together," DeMarcus said. "We caught up on lost time and sang every chance we got. We just hit it hard. We'd stay up endless nights writing music and playing together."

DeMarcus consolidated the trio when he brought in instrumentalist Rooney, who he met while recording a Chely Wright album.

With its ample share of country music fans State College will likely give the Flatts a nice welcome.

Matt Davis (sophomore-criminal justice) said, "I've been waiting to see these guys since the band first came out. Rascal Flatts has that sound that just puts me in a good mood. It's a real polished country."