Many bands play holiday shows, usually they consist of their normal set with a few traditional Christmas songs added to the end of the set. A Nelson Family Christmas show is a unique, totally immersive holiday experience that sees Matthew and Gunnar Nelson share their family history and holiday traditions with their fans. Scroll on for exclusive Nelson live photos and review.

The Nelson Family Christmas show is a combination of music, storytelling, and videos, The night begins with a Christmas episode of the classic Ozzie and Harriet show playing on the screen which sets the tone for the evening. The brothers not only tell stories of their life with their dad Ricky but show videos featuring digitized photos of their life off camera with their famous family.





As fascinating as their family history is, the music is ultimately what decides the success of a concert. Luckily, Matthew and Gunnar excel in that department. There is nothing quite like hearing brothers sing and harmonize together. This show is a departure from the heyday of their classic debut After The Rain. This isn’t a “rock” show, the brother’s take on Christmas classic is more of an acoustic vein with flourishes of Tom Petty and, of course, Ricky Nelson. Aside from Matthew on acoustic guitar and occasional bass, and Gunnar on electric guitar, the sparse band consisted only of a drummer and a wonderful violinist.





A highlight of the evening saw a 1979 clip of Ricky Nelson performing “Dream Lover” on Saturday Night Live while his sons sang and performed the song live along with their father’s vocal. They did a similar thing with their own hit Christmas song, “This Christmas”, when they played live and used video to provide to voices of Carnie and Wendy Wilson.





A Nelson Family Christmas is not your typical holiday show. Part concert, part variety show, and part family history, it all adds up to a fun night. Hearing the brothers share their family story and traditions make you appreciate your own family and Christmas traditions, and you will learn just what the 5 most dangerous toys are. It’s impossible to not have a smile on your face during this show or to not walk out with a sense of what’s really important during Christmas, the memories you make with the people you care about.