After reading my story from last Friday about Rascal Flatts' history in the Fresno area, local country artist Nick Wells chimed in with this little-known prequel to all the appearances I wrote about. I thought it was worth sharing:

"I met the guys in Rascal Flatts in Nashville about a year and a half before their first single came out and we became friends. Just prior to the release of that first single ("Prayin’ for Daylight"), I heard they were coming through town to meet with radio people to pre-promote their single and subsequent album.

"I called the guys and asked them if they wanted to do a little live show that night. Since my band (Bigg Kidd) was playing at Bulldog Brewing Co. in Fig Garden Village that weekend, we decided to set up our gear a little early, play a bit ourselves and let them do their thing with our gear.

More of this story, details for tonight's show and a video after the break ...

"I called a bunch of people that day and told them that an incredible group they had never heard of was coming through town and they should come check it out. Since it happened to be a Wednesday night, we only got about 25 people out, but we all put on a show that all of those folks still talk about! We played, they played and we all played together for about 2 hours. I’m still friends with the guys but obviously I rarely see them anymore. I’d say they’ve come a long way…"

Just a reminder: Rascal Flatts perform tonight at Save Mart Center. A Ticketmaster search shows that tickets are still available as of 12:40 p.m. Here's a video of the band's 2006 Fresno show: