Nelson Brothers wow audience

The first installment of the Galaxy Series kicked off Thursday with “Ricky Nelson Remembered.” This musical montage featured Matthew and Gunner Nelson, the twin sons of rock monolith Ricky Nelson. Ricky Nelson, dubbed “the prince of rock ‘n’ roll” by VH1’s Behind the Music, died abruptly in a 1985 plane crash, leaving a prolific and expansive career in his wake.

The student population –  most of whom had never heard of Ricky Nelson – were a little apprehensive about the show’s quality.

“I’ve never heard of Ricky Nelson,” said Erin Daniel, 18, freshman of Colorado Springs, Colo., as she looked around at the audience, packed with murmuring middle-aged Chadron residents. This air of caution prevailed, until the two wisecracking Nelson twins took the stage. Armed with their age-worn Fender guitars and documentary footage, the pair bandied stories, told jokes, and played the favorite songs of their father, Ricky Nelson.

“Not only is it a true pleasure to play these great songs that people love, but it makes us feel profoundly closer to our best friend, our Pop,” Gunner stated.

And the audience did love the songs. After each introduction, usually a funny yet touching anecdote the twins delivered, the audience responded with murmurs of recognition. These murmurs turned into to shouts as the upbeat music led people to applaud after every guitar solo. The audience’s energy, coupled with the Nelson’s friendly demeanors, turned a potentially dull show into a complete education about love, money, and rock ‘n’ roll.

The audience heard about Ozzie Nelson, the twin’s grandfather, who pioneered music videos and marketing music through television. Ozzie’s television sitcom, “The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet,” was Ricky’s first venue to expose his music; it proved to be a very lucrative idea. After hearing the many tales of the music industry, the audience was left to imagine how informative Sandy Shaffer’s Business of Music class must have been on Thursday, when the Nelson twins visited to offer their stories of the trade.

Gunner and Matthew, singer-songwriters themselves, and sporting billboard hits of their own were constantly supported by their father. The Nelson Twins’ show could’ve proved depressing, a show highlighting all the people these two musicians have lost.

Matthew Nelson summed up his feelings by saying, “our grandpa Ozzie has all the cast of ‘Ozzie and Harriet’ with him now, I’m sure he’s broadcasting episodes from Heaven.”

The evening of “Ricky Nelson Remembered” was touching, but above all fun. The content and class of the production shows promise about future Galaxy events.