By David Lucas, Rock At Night Orlando
Live Review: Kurt Deimer – House of Blues, Orlando, Florida – May 12, 2023
For me this story started one year ago and is more personal than any review that I have ever written. For me, this is more than a review, it is a message about a friend. I received an email from Chyrisse Tabone, the editor-in-chief of Rock at Night magazine asking if I would be interested in doing an interview with Kurt Deimer. Of course, I said yes. We did the interview and less than a month later I also covered his show at the Plaza Live in Orlando, Florida. My daughter, Victoria, went with me for this show and I am so happy that she did. Kurt and I had talked a couple times after the interview and during these chats we talked a little about the bullying that my daughter had gone through in school and the effect it left on her. After Kurt’s set I received a message from one of his crew, that Kurt would like to meet me and my daughter after the show. We left the Plaza lobby and walked around back and was greeted by Kyle, one of Kurt’s crew. Within a few minutes Kurt Deimer and PhilX walked off their tour bus and started shaking our hands and giving Victoria hugs. We all took some pictures together and talked about a lot of different things, but the hardest of all, bullying. We walked away that evening knowing that we had made a couple new friends.
In the following months we kept in contact and when the announcement came Kurt would be on tour with Tesla. This was exciting news for two reasons. One; We would get to see Kurt again and Two; I have been a Tesla fan since the 80s. Looking at the schedule, Orlando had two dates of May 5th and 6th. I sent Kurt a message to see if he would be doing both shows and yes; He was. We laid out our plans and we would be at both shows on May 5th and 6th, 2023 at the House of Blues in Orlando, Florida.
It’s been almost two months since the announcement, and the time has finally arrived.
8:00 PM and showtime. The lights go down and Dango jumps behind his drum kit. Kicking the night off with Dance. Next, the song that got this friendship started, Back of the School. Now a song that anyone who is a Pink Floyd fan, or has heard of Pink Floyd may know, this is Kurt Deimer’s version of “Have a Cigar”. From his upcoming film Hellbilly Hollow, Doom. Dedicating the next song, Hero to all the front-line workers, first responders, military and veterans. “Whatcha Sayin'” is a song that Kurt wrote sitting on his back porch in Ohio during the pandemic. Questioning, “what happened to humanity and being kind to each other, what happened to being kind to each other? It’s hard enough to survive life on earth and without kindness it’s even harder.”
Asking everyone to light up their phones or lighters, the room did just that, the House of Blues lit up and the music started. On the second night of the show giving a similar message he then asked everyone to say “be kind”, “let me hear you, be kind”. And everyone did, the yells of be kind filled the room. This time the message really hit home. At the end of the song Kurt said “I want to dedicate that song that I just played here tonight to my friend, Victoria. You’re a light in my life and I hope I have been a light in yours.” The hugs that she received from the people around us, the pats on the back shows that people can be kind to one another, we all just need to do it a little more often. Picking the pace back up and closing out the set with one of my favorites, “Naive.”
PHOTO GALLERY
SOCIAL MEDIA
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