That's Alright Mama - Matthew and Gunnar Nelson 1998

One of the many videos I have needed to put into the digital era... Fortunately I got a VHS to DVD machine so that I can reduce the size of the stuff in my closet to something more manageable, with most of my videos being either stuff from the television (Nelson clips from 25 years ago) or from shows and events I filmed myself (all too amateurishly), I figured this will be the year of reduction. I already reduced stacks and stacks of paper memorabilia to digital files, it's time to relegate the VHS to a digital world too. It's going to be a long project, but should be worth a few laughs.

I was pleasantly surprised when this song was one I discovered had been performed. I had forgotten that particular piece of information regarding this show from 15 years ago (has it BEEN that long??).

Garden Party - Birthday Memory

Today's my birthday. I always tend make a big deal out of my own birthdays because no one else really does. I mean, they don't have to, I'm an adult. But there was a time that I thought my birthday was a pretty big deal, for about 5 minutes.

Way back, when I was 5, I remember being at a get-together, a birthday celebration for a friend of my mom's and my uncle's. Jack and I shared a birthday so I felt it was my party too.

It was an outdoor gathering, I don't remember if it was a bucket o' chicken and beers or a BBQ and beers, the one thing I do remember is the song Garden Party coming on and how I excitedly thought that the song was a personalized anthem for the night. My mom dispelled my thinking.

"Mom, he's singing about us, we're having a garden party"
"No, Sherry, that's not what the song is about-go play"

Queue the first time I thought my mom didn't know what she was talking about!

OK, so she was right. I know this now. But when I heard the song this morning on my drive, all I could do was smile and think... 40 years later, Rick Nelson was singing Garden Party for me, for my birthday... then AND this morning.

Celebrate my birthday with me, listen to Rick's sons performing Garden Party, choose the original, or enjoy both:

Rocking at the Riverside with @RickyNelsonRemb

We went to see Matthew and Gunnar at the Riverside Casino in Laughlin this past weekend. The Summertime temps were hot and so was the show!

If you've never seen these two perform, you owe yourself the chance to do so!

The Ricky Nelson Remembered show is the stuff memories are made of. Could it be because it showcases memories of their iconic father, rock and roll legend, Rick Nelson? Might it be due to their position in an entertainment dynasty? One never tires of hearing that these guys are Guinness record holders as the only family to have #1 records in three successive generations -their grandfather, Ozzie Nelson, had a #1 hit with "And Then Some" in 1934, and their father, Ricky Nelson, had #1 hits with "Poor Little Fool" in 1958 and "Travelin' Man" in 1961; and the twins with their band Nelson's #1 "(I Can't Live Without Your) Love and Affection" seal the deal - not only is this is a badge to be worn with pride, it's a wonderful accidental marketing tool! I am certain that all of those things are part of the charm, but they don't make the show what it is. They're actually just the tools that are artfully wielded to pull in the audience and immerse the listener into a whole new world. One that blends the memories of a generation of people who saw as Rock and Roll was just born, with the memories of a father's sons. As if that weren't enough, the thing that really does the trick is that these guys know how to make fun of themselves, and have fun with the audience in ways that bring joy to a whole room of diverse people. They create entirely new beautiful, colorful memories for the audience to take home with them.

You really do want to find these guys in a theater near you: http://www.rickynelsonremembered.com/

Ricky Nelson Remembered - Brea, CA 6.16.12

Cindy and I had never seen the theater presentation with the multimedia display and I was so glad that we were in a theater venue so we could finally do so. Over the years, we'd seen Matthew and Gunnar do various incarnations of the show from 1998 through 2003; then we had taken a break from doing much of anything and once we went back to see them - it was last September. We'd been searching doable trips to see them again ever since.

@NelsonRockBand @RickyNelsonRemb

When the Brea show came up, it was a lock! We needed to get back to California, to Disneyland and the beach - and a show? Trifecta!

While we were planning - Cindy and I found the Bettie Page store in SLC and went a little crazy and decided to buy some retro style dresses for this show. It was a lark, and it was completely worth it! We got so many compliments and just felt like such "ladies". To me, it was an added bonus for the evening.

They performed at the Curtis Theatre a very nice, intimate venue with incredible staff. I recommend them highly after just this one visit! For the show, the setup was so cozy and inviting (the guys even referred to it as being in one big living room-which is apropos) and the show was astounding. I'm so glad I got the chance to see the multimedia presentation.

I had my precious new Canon DSLR with me and I was excited to have learned a few low-light tricks the night before, and some focus info so that I might get some good shots. I may have gotten a bit carried away with the continuous shooting feature, I got tons of images. So many turned out very well, which excited me to no end. I love digital for low light with film, a high ISO is usually so grainy. With digi, I haven't seen that problem. 

The show ended  much too soon - it wasn't short, it was just so fun that it flew on past. The guys are so entertaining and engaging, it's a true pleasure to be part of their audience and to hear them share stories of their father - it's just so touching and such a fun evening to be part of. I know that Rick is looking down on them both with pride and with a sense of joy.

If you ever hear of the Ricky Nelson Remembered show coming to a venue near you, you should go... you'll not be disappointed. They are fun, they are funny and man can they sing and play those guitars! To top it all off, they stay after to meet folks, sign stuff and be genuinely friendly!

Why I went to Auburn, CA

Ok, so it had been seven (7) years since I'd seen Matthew and Gunnar perform live (back on the Styx/Frampton tour) and I was having aserious withdrawals. Once I heard they were to be performing a Ricky Nelson Remembered show in Auburn, CA I was ready to do some travel research (and let's face it - some traveling).

Cindy and I did some preliminary research, then as we got excited about the prospect, some serious planning. I'd already had the time off requested for the following week, we had been contemplating a trip to Disneyland, then we reconsidered due to finances. I had decided to keep my week off (what, with over a month of accrued vacation time, I could well afford it) and when we discovered the date of the show and did some drive-time math I decided to bump the time off forward by a couple of days.

This past Wednesday, September 7th, the technicalities were out of the way and finally travel time had arrived. I was fully ready for some younger-days-adventure so I decided we really should leave in the night on Wednesday. I wanted to squeeze some beach time in so we drove through the night, and got to Santa Cruz by lunchtime.

In my previous post, you can see that we had a terrific time. The next day was the day of the show. I was SO READY for this! After all, I'd been preening and primping mentally for a couple of months, with my weight loss, my innate need to dress up for these encounters, and my compulsive nature you should expect nothing less!!

"Cute" clothes... Check.

Mani/Pedi... Check.

New hairstyle... Check.

Hair drama.... Check.

Of course there was hair drama! I had to wash it in the day and a half after having it styled... so now it had the fuzzies! Oh Dear! but fret not... I found a miracle cure in Ric Pipino's Style My Cut line... Oh Hell Yeah! I was ready to go.

I find it inspiring that the show we ended up choosing to go to (you see, we could have been going to the show in Cheyenne THIS WEEKEND) was the scaled-down, intimate version of the Rick Nelson Remembered show that we'd seen when they had started entertaining the idea of such a show. The usual deal is Multimedia entertainment and sounds so cool... but we chose Auburn and were NOT disappointed with the Old-School style of the fair show.

We got to the fairgrounds with no idea where the stage was [why, it was right around the corner] and just in time for sound check we discovered the location. I think, even though these guys are meticulous about their show, the presentation of it and the polish they've been able to apply to their shows - that I enjoy sound check better than the shows because they're in their own world, working on getting everything to reflect that polish. Voyeuristic? Sure-but who isn't? I enjoy it because they're comfortable in their skin, can put it all together and answer the endless barrage of questions and requests that self-absorbed (innocent) bystanders lob at them with poise and dignity. Yes - sound check ran long, but you made quite a beautiful impression boys!

The show was quite fun... they rock, after all!

I would have enjoyed the full-out presentation, but in the end, I met these boys in an intimate environment and most of the shows I've seen them perform have been more intimate. This suits me just fine... of course, 7 years was way too long and THAT will NOT happen again, so I'm pretty sure I'll be seeing some different shows in the very near future.

I advise you see them when they're in a town near you, and just like in a Pixar movie, stay after - sorry no credits and the outtakes were during sound check - but you CAN meet and greet these sweet (sorry guys, you did it to yourselves) guys.

Can't commit to seeing them live? Watch this video... you might be swayed...

Video: Ricky Nelson's twin sons honor late father's career at Orpheum show | The Argus Leader | argusleader.com:
OR - if you don't have 30 minutes to spare right away...
Follow Nelson on twitter... http://twitter.com/#!/NelsonRockBand
Follow Ricky Nelson Remembered on Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/RickyNelsonRemb

(I am not affiliated with Nelson/Ricky Nelson Remembered - I'm just a long-term supporter... and I approve this message... Duh)