Gary LeVox,

Gary, Gary, Gary. I'm not mad, just disappointed. It has taken me a few weeks to get over what happened on July 20, but now I am ready to share my experience and maybe get some closure.

2019 CMA Music Festival - Day 1
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Before I get into what happened, let me give you a little background on my history with Gary and Rascal Flatts. Picture this: 8-year-old Cassidy has her mom wake her up extra early every day so that she can watch CMT music videos before school. She waits patiently for her favorite video to come on, and when it finally does, she springs up and runs to the TV to get a better look. That music video was “What Hurts the Most” by Rascal Flatts. Now, fast-forward to later that year, when young Cassidy has just turned nine and got her first CD player and an album to go with it. Can you guess what that CD was? Yep, Me and My Gang by Rascal Flatts.

You get the picture here, hardcore Gary/Rascal Flatts fan for the last 13 years. Fast-forward even further to July 20, 2019: Anyone who is anyone in Northern Colorado has heard of Cheyenne Frontier Days, but for those of you that have been living under a rock for the last 122 years, it is the world’s largest outdoor rodeo and is held every July in Cheyenne, Wyoming. But besides the rodeo, it also offers live concerts with some of the biggest names in country music, and this year, they had none other than Rascal Flatts performing. So, obviously, I was going to do everything I could to go and see them in concert. Then, an incredible opportunity came up and I was actually able to get MEET AND GREETS for after the show (thank you, Brad, you are the best).

So, there I was, waiting in line to meet Rascal Flatts, my personal heroes since I was 8 years old. The moment that I had been waiting for for the last thirteen years was about to happen, and I was so excited and nervous that I was nearly sick. It felt as though we had been waiting in line for hours, but really it was probably only about thirty minutes. Slowly, I inched up to the room where Rascal Flatts was doing their meet and greet, then, finally, it was my turn. I walked through a red curtain and looked up to find 2 members of Rascal Flatts standing before me, Jay DeMarus and Joe Don Rooney. Gary LeVox, the lead singer, was missing. THE LEAD SINGER. I was looking forward to meeting him the most and he didn't even bother to show up. How could they even do a meet and greet while missing one third of the band? Shocked and confused, I took my picture with DeMarcus and Rooney (they were super awesome and nice, by the way) and walked out. There were so many emotions going through my head; I was sad, disappointed, angry, and upset. Why, Gary, just why?

After I had a few weeks to calm down and process my feelings, I came to the realization that there were many reasons for you to miss that meet and greet, many of which could be out of your control. Maybe another engagement came up at the last minute or maybe you weren't feeling well. None of that’s your fault, but I want to know the truth. SO, here is your chance to tell your side of the story. It’s the least you can do, considering that there were people at CFD who paid a lot of money to meet you. We need ANSWERS. Then, maybe, we can begin to heal from this traumatic abandonment.

But, at the end of the day, please know we all still love you and will continue to jam out to “Life is a Highway” on every road trip for the rest of time.

Sincerely,

Cassidy Torpen

 

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