Pop Legends Live!: Gary Lewis & the Playboys

It's about time Gary Lewis got some props, considering the wide swath he and his group the Playboys cut through the mid-‘60s pop landscape, right? Well, when it came to guys whose parents were Hollywood stars, Jerry Lewis' kid was better than Dino (Martin) and Desi (Arnaz), although this 45-minute program from the Pop Legends Live! concert series provides evidence that--decades after the fact--Gary's still got the same tuneless, nasal voice and nerdy, charisma-free presence. This recent performance finds him running though 11 songs (seven Top 10 hits), one of which is pretty good (“This Diamond Ring,” co-written by Blood, Sweat & Tears founder Al Kooper). However, the majority of the rest (including “Count Me In,” “She's Just My Style,” and “Everybody Loves a Clown”) are featherweight fluff, and frankly, Lewis', um, oeuvre isn't even a footnote to an era when rock was undergoing a radical and wondrous evolution, although Lewis himself is a nice guy with a modicum of talent and some great connections, who had a few moments in the sun before being rightly consigned to the nostalgia circuit. Not recommended. Aud: P. (S. Graham)