Tesla

Tesla Were Keepin’ It Real in Lewiston, NY with Support From Kurt Deimer and Stretch

A quiet Wednesday night in Western New York played host to rock veterans Tesla. Along for the ride on the Keepin’ It Real tour were Kurt Deimer and Stretch. It makes for a pretty interesting line up considering Stretch is an artist turned performer and Deimer is an actor as well as musician.

As summer concert season winds down, and people scramble to decide what shows to attend before having to get back to school and work, the attendance was a tad lighter than anticipated for the mid week show. However, that did not deter any of the bands’ performances. Starting the midweek evening off was Stretch and his band of merry men. This was my first encounter with Stretch, but I will admit I left a fan of his non stop entertainment. He sings songs mainly based on food, admittedly his obsession. Most of his set was songs from Carnivore of Chaos, the latest release. There is also a lot of prop usage in his set, with the likes of throwing out plastic kazoos for audience participation. His set seems to have roots in the punk scene but personally I felt they were out of place opening for Tesla. I enjoyed the off beat, kooky performance of Stretch.

Taking the stage as direct support was actor and musician Kurt Deimer. Most notably known for his role in 2018 Halloween, Deimer stated how he intends to get back to music. He made it a point to thank veterans and first responders before playing his song Heroes. Overall, he was extremely engaging with the audience, at one point coming into the crowd to fist bump attendees. Surprisingly he delivered a cover of Pink Floyd’s Have a Cigar, which is not a cover you hear often. Deimer has a great stage presence and puts on an incredible performance. I would like to see him come back around soon.

As Tesla hit the stage exactly at 9pm, fans stood up, many moving as close to the stage as possible. Artpark Mainstage is a 2500 seat indoor venue, which was about half full for this event. The set began with Rock Me to the Top and quickly went into Modern Day Cowboy. Tesla have been making music and selling records since the early 80’s. The line up has been tweaked a bit since then however the core is still there. Bassist Brian Wheat, guitarist Frank Hannon, and singer Jeff Keith are joined by guitarist Dave Rude and {touring} drummer Steve Brown.

The setlist included expected hits such as Heaven’s Trail (No Way Out), Love Song and Little Suzi. Fans were also treated to a few brand new songs, All About Love and From the Heart , both of which were met with a resounding acceptance. Of course, no Tesla show could be complete without playing Signs, the Five Man Electrical Band cover that was Tesla’s highest charting song. This evenings rendition was played electrically, not acoustically.

We have all aged and it would be silly to expect them to look and sound exactly as they did in 1989. That being said, Jeff Keith’s voice sounds very similar to the last time I saw them, which admittedly was about 20 years prior. Overall, Tesla is a solid band with many more years ahead.