RAMA, Ont. - It was family night on Friday at Casino Rama as country music legend Glen Campbell launched the first of two shows with his eldest daughter Debby in tow.

Campbell is technically touring in support of his excellent 2008 album, Meet Glen Campbell, which features him covering classic rock songs by the likes of Tom Petty, Foo Fighters, Jackson Browne, U2, Velvet Underground, Green Day and John Lennon.

Too bad he didn't play more of them.

Instead of focusing on the wealth of material from that disc - Green Day's Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life) was the sole offering and Campbell relied heavily on the music stand in front of him holding lyrics to all the songs - he delved back into his 45-year catalogue of hits with the help of his four-piece band.

Campbell, a hugely respected session guitarist with The Wrecking Crew in Los Angeles in the '60s, can still play a mean guitar as he more than demonstrated with impressive solos on Galveston, Try A Little Kindness, True Grit, Mason Williams' instrumental, Classical Gas, Rollin' In My Sweet Baby's Arms, Good Riddance, and The William Tell Overture (playing with his guitar raised behind his head).

His clear strong voice sounded good too although he struggled a bit initially.

"Something went down the wrong pipe," he said.

It was in between songs, that was the real problem.

His stage banter was either hokey - "It's so cold I saw a chicken with a cape on" - or just downright strange or awkward.

At times, he seemed genuinely confused as repeated things he had said previously, asking what song was next, what key it was in, or where his guitar was.

When he just stood there and sang and played, he was vintage Campbell.

After a dozen songs, Campbell left the stage and Debby took over on her own for a few tunes, Silver Threads and Crazy, before her dad returned to join her for duets on the Johnny and June Carter Cash classic Jackson, The Everly Brothers' Let It Be Me, and the country gem, Rollin' In My Sweet Baby's Arms.

On his own, he rebounded later in the show with the trio of hits, Southern Nights, Rhinestone Cowboy and Wichita Lineman.

But it was a cover of The Righteous Brothers' You Lost That Lovin' Feelin' that he closed the 75-minute concert with, given he played guitar on the original recording, while shaking people's hands at the front and signing autographs.

SET LIST:

Gentle On My Mind

Galveston

Try A Little Kindess

By The Time I Get To Phoenix

Don't Pull Your Love

Only Make Believe

Where's The Playground Susie

Didn't We

I Can't Stop Loving You

Kentucky

True Grit

Classical Gas

Silver Threads (Debby Campbell solo)

Crazy (Debby Campbell solo)

Jackson (duet with Debby Campbell)

Let It Be Me (duet with Debby Campbell)

Rollin' In My Sweet Baby's Arms (duet with Debby Campbell),

The William Tell Overture

Rhinestone Cowboy

ENCORE:

Wichita Lineman

You Lost That Lovin' Feelin'