“Ricky Nelson Remembered,” featuring Matthew and Gunnar Nelson

[Zoneboy]

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The man for whom Life Magazine coined the term “Teen Idol” is coming to Worcester. Or at least, his memory is. Ricky Nelson is known for many things, among them, being the only artist to have a No. 1 song, a No. 1 movie and a No. 1 TV show in the same week, as well as starring in “The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet.” Ozzie and Harriet, as it happens, were also his parents. On Friday, August 2 The Hanover Theatre will host his twin sons, multi-platinum recording artists Matthew and Gunnar Nelson, as they perform many of their father’s hits and host a multimedia tribute to Ricky.

Matthew Nelson is keenly aware of his family’s place in American pop culture. “Our family is kind of America’s family, and here we are,” he says. “It’s really important not to stay stuck in the ’50s, but you cannot forget where you came from. None of us would have the soundtrack we enjoy nowadays if it wasn’t for our dad.”

Music is certainly the family business, and while Ozzie, a retired bandleader, was one of the first people to see the power and potential of marketing music on television, Ricky Nelson’s debut came about in much the same way many things in a young man’s life do. “My dad made a little demo record to impress a girl,” says Matthew. “And Ozzie thought it would be a great idea to do it on the show.” His musical career gained immediate momentum. “When he was 16 he debuted it live on the show, it was the first time people had seen him sing, it was almost like a Beatles on Sullivan moment. He sold a million copies in a week. It was a phenomenon.” At a time when rock n’ roll was considered “devil music” by the American mainstream, Ozzie and Harriet were taking a big risk by putting it on TV, but there was something just wholesome enough about Ricky that made it work. “Back then Elvis turned off a lot of parents; Ricky didn’t. It was legitimate rock ‘n’ roll through the TV set and it was no surprise that Ozzie and Harriet’s show got a complete second run,” says Matthew.

His career took off from there. Ricky went on to become a superstar, recording numerous hit singles and becoming a film actor; he died an untimely death at the age of 45 when, on New Year’s Eve in 1985, his private plane crash-landed in De Kalb, Texas, killing Nelson and his band. In 1987 he was inducted into the Rock ‘N’ Roll Hall of Fame. By 1990, his twin sons were finding their own success with their band, Nelson’s, debut album, “After the Rain,” which was a hit, and the single “(Can’t Live Without Your) Love and Affection” reached No. 1 on The Billboard Hot 100. More than 30 years earlier, their father’s first No. 1 single, “Poor Little Fool,” had been The Hot 100’s inaugural No. 1.

The Nelson twins’ decision to begin playing their father’s music live came about unexpectedly. “From the onset, my brother and I worked very hard to establish our own brand,” says Matthew. “We had gotten to a place where we had done very well.” The brothers were asked to play a concert for U.S. military personnel stationed overseas in Japan, and were asked if they would play their father’s songs as a sort of theme concert for the troops. “The truth is these kids are 18, 19 years old. They don’t know who I am, let alone who my dad is. [The promoter] asked ‘what do you got to lose?’ and he was kind of right. We put together a set list that was basically based on my dad’s set list right before he passed away.” The troops, as Matthew tells it, “went crazy.” It was a minor epiphany for the brothers. “We kind of looked at each other, and kind of in silent twin-speak it was like ‘we’re a couple of idiots. Why don’t we play these tunes sometimes?’” They decided to create a separate act altogether and take Ricky’s memory on the road.

Fortunately for the brothers, they aren’t confined to a simple evening of cover tunes. In the planning of the show, they came across 30 years worth of interviews and documentation, including interviews with some of the artists Nelson influenced, like Paul McCartney and Chris Isaak. “It really is kind of neat to have this format where we can play these tunes that are all just amazing songs and then have the video we can cut back and forth to,” says Matthew. “And then we have my brother and myself, and we have all these personal experiences. We know the stories behind all these songs because he told us.”

The show is about family, but Matthew emphasizes the need for the experience to transcend the music. “Creating is the closest thing we have to magic on this planet; it’s the great communicator. I think people need magic now more than ever. We’re there to take people to a different place for two hours. We want to make them feel. We can see them from the stage and we can watch them transform, and they get younger. And the kids in the audience watching for the first time, you can watch them getting wiser.”

Ricky Nelson’s last Top 40 hit would come in 1972 with “Garden Party,” a song he wrote about an experience he had playing Madison Square Garden when fans booed him for playing new material rather than his old hits. Over 40 years later, Matthew can identify with the lyrical content of the song. “I’ve now reached semi-nostalgic status in my own career, so I understand what he was writing about. We always close a show with a new song of ours. He was basically saying you have to push yourself and keep growing, otherwise you go from being an artist to being an act.”

“Ricky Nelson Remembered,” featuring Matthew and Gunnar Nelson, comes to The Hanover Theatre on Friday, August 2. Tickets are $25, $35 and $45 depending on seating location. VIP tickets are also available for $75 and include a backstage tour, meet and greet, seating within the first five rows, and an autographed photo. thehanovertheatre.org

[catlover79]

That is so sweet and wonderful. Tracy, Matthew, Gunnar and Sam still so clearly love their father after he's been gone all these years. Their tributes are great. I know that Rick would be proud of all of his kids today. God bless them all!!

[biffbronson]

I can remember hearing about Rick's death as if it were yesterday. Really sad for the children, Harriet, and David to go through back then, and have only his memory.

[Goldilocks]

This is such a wonderful show. If you can, GO! It's worth a long drive if necessary. Matt and Gunnar are top notch performers and do their dad and grandparents proud! Plus, they are just the nicest guys you could ever meet. I've always been quite smitten with these two!

[OH Nuts!]

Originally Posted by Goldilocks

This is such a wonderful show. If you can, GO! It's worth a long drive if necessary. Matt and Gunnar are top notch performers and do their dad and grandparents proud! Plus, they are just the nicest guys you could ever meet. I've always been quite smitten with these two!

I've seen them twice and I echo Goldilocks: GO! You will have a wonderful time. The twins are super nice in their Meet and Greets right after the show. They are consummate performers!

[matt77b]

Originally Posted by OH Nuts!

I've seen them twice and I echo Goldilocks: GO! You will have a wonderful time. The twins are super nice in their Meet and Greats right after the show. They are consummate performers!

Having recently seen Gunnar and Matthew do this show, I fully concur. If you are a fan of Rick's music or even just of the Nelsons in general, then "Ricky Nelson Remembered" is definitely worth seeing!