This is where Nelson first debuted with the Stone Canyon band and really established himself for the second time in his professional career. Recorded at the famed L.A. venue The Troubadour, this is a raw-boned, intimate experience between band and audience, much more so than the glitzy Elvis comeback in Vegas the year before. Never aspiring to songwriter greatness - although his two orginals here are good - the spotlight over-the-shoulder cover shot is an indicator of the workmanlike depths Nelson was willing to go to entertain people. In Concert is a great reminder of that energy and spirit.
Cut from the same cloth as Another Side (and may have been cut during same sessions which produced that album) but it sounds more mature and less scattered. Still, the reliance on material from others holds it back from being a release of note.
Nelson moves into the psychedelic pop realm with bewildering results. Some songs have promise, and others just make you wonder what the artist was thinking in general ("Marshallmallow Skies", a fancified and obvious re-write of "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds"). This definitely is another side to Nelson - one that's better left to the dustbin of pop history.
The first real attempt from former teen idol Rick Nelson to distance himself from his original heartthrob run, Bright Lights consists of mainly interpretations of other country songs. It's not a bad reintroduction to the artist in a new setting, but not much in the substance department, I'm afraid.
