Screaming, cowboy-hat-wearing fans of all ages, an elaborate stage setup and colorful lights set the background for a Rascal Flatts' performance that never lost its excitement throughout the group's entire hour-and-a-half set Friday night.

During the show I had to remind myself that I was at a pop-country concert, because the atmosphere at the Bryce Jordan Center had more of a rock 'n' roll feel.

Rascal Flatts knew their audience was loving the show, and the band returned the love by interacting with fans.

At one point, an audience member handed lead vocalist Gary LeVox a Terrible Towel, and he swung it over his head while continuing to sing.

Bassist Joe Don Rooney noticed a woman by the stage with a sign that read, "It's my birthday, can I have a hug?"

After pointing out the sign, Rascal Flatts sang "Happy Birthday," and Rooney kissed her hand.

The country trio covered material from all three of their previous albums, highlighting the most popular tracks. The audience screamed during the opening chord of each song, indicating its approval of every one.

The track "Fast Cars and Freedom" from their most recent album Feels Like Today was especially popular, and at one point the audience sang the chorus instead of LeVox. It seemed as though every audience member in the BJC was belting out the words.

Even the slower songs, such as "Bless the Broken Road" and "Feels like Today" maintained the energy of the show.

The stage branched off into several different platforms, and its unique structure allowed the band to more closely interact with audience members, particularly those who had less-than-stellar-seats.

During the middle of the performance, the band traveled to the back of the audience on a moving platform and played "Skin (Sarabeth)," a sad song about a little girl with cancer, and continued with "I'm Movin' On," a song about overcoming hardship and personal struggles.

And the opening artists did not disappoint either.

Usually, when the opening acts are playing, the audience goes to the bathroom, buys memorabilia from the headlining act or talks. Friday night, however, Jason Aldean and Blake Shelton received almost as much attention as Rascal Flatts.

The excitement from the crowd was contagious, and I could tell the artists enjoyed it.

Aldean performed first and introduced his single "Hicktown" by asking, "How many hicks do we have in State College?"

Before this concert, I would have said maybe two or three, but now I would guess quite a few.

Aldean started off the audience interaction aspect of the night when he grabbed the cowboy hat of a girl in the audience and signed it.

Shelton opened second and was also well received as he sang material from his current CD Blake Shelton's Barn and Grill as well as an old hit called "Austin."

Shelton apologized for drinking before the concert, and the crowd went nuts.

If I had to sum up this concert in two words, I would use a phrase that Shelton repeated often during his set: "Hell yeah."