Don Dorshimer honored in touching rock ‘n’ roll farewell at Orbit Room memorial service

Hundreds bid adieu to longtime concert promoter and Orbit Room owner Don Dorshimer in a casual-yet-poignant affair early Friday evening at the music venue he cherished.

 

Don Dorshimer rocked the rafters of The Orbit Room for the last time on Friday.

With hundreds of friends, relatives, musicians, industry reps, radio personalities and supporters gathered at the Grand Rapids music venue on Friday to pay tribute to the congenial and influential promoter and Orbit Room owner who died suddenly last weekend at age 56, the nightclub echoed with the strains of The Doors’ “Riders on the Storm” to signal the start of the early evening memorial service.

Appropriately enough, Dorshimer’s Harley-Davidson motorcycle in the lobby had greeted visitors – dressed in everything from blue jeans and biker leather to ties and sportcoats – who celebrated the life of a man who had touched many in West Michigan’s music scene over the past 30 years.

It was pure Don.

“Everything he did, he did with such gusto,” said WLAV morning host Tony Gates, a longtime pal who regaled those on hand with funny anecdotes about Dorshimer while insisting he literally “broke the mold” of the stereotypical “shady” concert promoter by being generous, supportive and a true mentor to those around him.

Dorshimer had a long track record in concert promotion, from helping launch the Val-Du-Lakes concert series decades ago to stints with Belkin Productions and Clear Channel Entertainment to his ever-enthusiastic ownership of The Orbit Room, formerly known as Club Eastbrook.

But this guy with an affection for motorcycles, fishing and coins also left behind a loving family – children, Natalie and Nicholas, parents, Donald and Joyce, sister, Valery, nephew, Logan – and a legacy that’s frankly rare in the concert promotion business, bringing tears to many who eulogized Dorshimer from the stage.

Longtime associate Ron Clause, who now works for concert promotion giant Live Nation, referred to Dorshimer as a father figure and supportive “big brother” who mentored him in the business for a decade and taught him the importance of family and relationships. “I cherished those days,” he said.

Fellow concert promoter David Deaver waxed eloquently about Dorshimer’s role as “an old-school dinosaur” in the music business who gave advice to local bands and established himself as an industry force. “This is an incredibly difficult business, but Don endured” and was successful, even while facing adversity, he noted.

The outpouring of warmth at Friday’s memorial service – coming even from those at competing concert venues – demonstrated in dramatic fashion the impact of a fellow with great passion for promoting live music and emerging acts in Grand Rapids and elsewhere across Michigan.

And many did it from the stage that Dorshimer so loved and plugged and nurtured, as the consummate music promoter that he was.

Email John Sinkevics at jsinkevics@gmail.com.
Copyright 2013, Spins on Music