"A Few Stars Apart" is the acclaimed recent album from Lukas Nelson and Promise of the Real.

Like a lot of touring musicians, Lukas Nelson canceled a bunch of shows in the spring of 2020 and stayed home to help slow the spread of COVID-19.

That meant unexpected bonus time at the family property in Texas, where he hung out with his brother, Micah, his mom, Annie, and his dad, Willie — yes, that Willie Nelson.

When asked what he remembers about that time, Lukas talks about the sort of familial things that sometimes lose out to life on the road.

“My favorite time of day was just when we would gather for dinner, and we would sit and play dominoes or we’d play chess and we’d have ice cream and watch movies,” he said. “It’s funny, it felt so different to be at home for that long, but it went by so quickly, and I’ll cherish that time forever.”

Nelson did more than just have ice cream with a bona fide music legend during quarantine.

He also wrote songs, many of which ended up on his 2021 album “A Few Stars Apart,” a collection of easygoing country-rock songs about love, loss and life that were influenced by the stillness of the time and nights spent stargazing under the seemingly endless Texas sky.

Those songs are “very much a snapshot of the moment,” Nelson said, and the moment was creatively fruitful.

“My father used to tell me that Roger Miller (would) say that writing songs is like waiting for the rain. You can’t force the rain. You have to just wait for it to rain,” he said. “And then when the rain comes, the inspiration is there and you wait for your well to fill up. And sometimes the well is full and sometimes the well is dry, but you can’t force it, you know? And during that time, because of everything that was happening, I think there was just a lot of inspiration in the air.”

Life marches on, of course, and Nelson is back on the road with his longtime band Promise of the Real, and they have a show scheduled for Thursday night at the Midtown Ballroom in Bend (see “If you go”). He’s also back to writing songs while on tour, with an eye toward releasing more music soon.

But at the same time, he’s intent on incorporating some of the lessons he learned at home into his own healthy and grounded future.

“I think I grew from that experience and learned how to balance a little more of my home life and the road life and be a little more settled, I suppose,” Nelson said. “Just a little, but enough to hopefully allow for longevity in the business and in my life.”

What: Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real

When: 8 p.m. Thursday, doors open 7 p.m.

Where: Midtown Ballroom, 51 NW Greenwood Ave., Bend

Cost: $25

Contact: midtownballroom.com