Gary LeVox of Rascal Flatts thrilled the crowd at Rexall Place last night with the band’s greatest hits, including Bless This Broken Road. (Amber Bracken, Sun Media)

EDMONTON - The boys in Rascal Flatts are excellent salesmen.

Whether they’re peddling their brand of pop-marinated country or posing sullenly in department store advertisements, the Nashville-based trio knows how to make a buck.

The group, comprised of vocalist Gary LeVox, bassist Jay DeMarcus and guitarist Joe Don Rooney, are among the world’s top grossing musicians in recent years and it’s not hard to see why.

Not only is their current American Living Unstoppable tour sponsored by a clothing line — U.S. store JC Penney — but their slick and shiny arsenal of songs is also capable of attracting both the adult contemporary crowd and those who dig country.

Both demographics made up the crowd of 10,000 at Rexall Place last night. Seats were packed with Luis Vuitton-totting tweens and straight-up cowboys in 10-gallon hats and thigh-hugging Wranglers.

The show began with a larger-than-life glittery bang, foreshadowing the evening to come.

A series of images seemingly meant to depict the entire history of the world (or at least an American country singer’s version) — the moon landing, Statue of Liberty, flapping Canadian and American flags and Jesus Christ —flashed by on large curtains.

A massive shower of fireworks echoed through the arena as the curtains fell away, revealing the (literally) sparkling trio standing on a platform, LeVox in bedazzled jeans and a black top.

“Canada!” he shouted, looking like country’s answer to the (aging) boy band star. “Are you ready to rock?”

Well, this small corner of the country was, anyways.

PITCH PERFECT

Early on, in Fast Cars and Freedom, which prompted most to jump to their feet, the band’s strengths and weaknesses were laid out. Musically, every instrument was bang on and pitch perfect, but unfortunately hidden behind LeVox’s nasally warble.

That’s not to say the group’s frontman isn’t a great performer. In fact, the entire band — with an extra keyboardist, banjo player and violinist thrown in for good measure — is. Using the massive catwalk that stretched to the back of the floor to its fullest, they strutted around, playing with the crowd which was clearly hungry for their attention.

Toned and slowed down on the band’s biggest hit, Bless This Broken Road, LeVox’s vocals sounded their best. They are country’s most popular balladeers and they do it well.

The setlist alternated between country rock and sappy love songs at a rapid pace, pausing only for the group to insert rehearsed one-liners and thank the audience for “laying out your hard-earned money to come out and see us tonight.”

They have plenty of other things to be thankful for as well, including fistfuls of Number 1 hits, mantles of awards and a history of soldout shows under their belt.

Though extremely calculated, the most moving part of the one hour and 20 minute set was a short video of a children’s hospital the band apparently donates money to through the Make A Wish Foundation.

Fans screamed their approval throughout the little plug, then made even more noise as they launched into the made-for-graduation song, My Wish.

Capping off the night, the trio returned to the stage (with help from opener Darius Rucker) for an encore culminating in a cover of Tom Cochrane’s beloved Life is A Highway (created for the Disney/Pixar movie Cars).

This version didn’t offer a country spin on the classic hit. It was a carbon copy with LeVox’s high-pitched voice where Cochrane’s raspy growl used to be.

But Google the song title and you’ll find the Flatts’ version is infinitely more popular.

Earlier, Rucker, of Hootie and the Blowfish fame, opened the evening with his crossover country-folk offerings. For those not familiar with his new material, it was jarring to hear his distinct, rumbly voice — one that is stashed in the back corner of everyone’s memory — crooning country ditties.

STANDARDS PLEASE

But a mere three songs in, he fell back on his former band’s most famous track of the ’90s, Let Her Cry, and, later, Only Wanna Be With You (remember when “the Dolphins made me cry?”).

The crowd, ostensibly composed of country fans, still revelled in the trip back in time. Though his newer material — tight, upbeat and straight-forward — will likely never bring him back to the height of his glory days, it was fun and heartfelt, nonetheless.

He inexplicably closed his 50-minute set with a country-tinged version of Prince’s Purple Rain, plunging the crowd into a weird world where only cover songs that bizarre can exist.

Dressed modestly in a baseball cap and button-down white shirt, Rucker certainly wasn’t an advertisement for extravagance and glitz like the main act.

And for some, that’s not such a bad thing.