Courtesy Photo Michael Stephen Neumann, who plays David Lee Roth in the Van Halen tribute band JUMP, spins and twirls a sword near the front of the stage while his bandmates jam behind him. JUMP — America’s Van Halen Experience will perform tonight in the Veolia Big Tent at the Michigan Brown Trout Festival in Alpena. Proceeds from ticket sales will be used to support programs offered by Friends Together.

ALPENA — Tonight, the big tent at the Michigan Brown Trout Festival may resemble and sound more like the famed Sunset Strip in Los Angeles in the early 1980s than a boat harbor in Northeast Michigan.

The world famous Van Halen tribute band JUMP — America’s Van Halen Experience performs during the Michigan Brown Trout Festival in Alpena and a large crowd is expected.

The concert is being hosted by Friends Together and doubles as a fundraiser for the charitable group that helps those struggling with cancer.

Lead vocalist Michael Stephen Neumann, who portrays the energetic and flamboyant David Lee Roth on stage, said the show will take people back to the late 1970s and early 1980s when Van Halen performed on the Sunset Strip in venues such as the Whiskey a Go Go and the Rainbow, before the band hit it big and began to sell out arenas worldwide.

He said the concert will include all of the fun, excitement, and showmanship Van Halen was famous for and the crowd can expect to hear hits from Van Halen’s vast catalog from the Roth era.

“You’re going to get the exact energy that you would have gotten from a Van Halen show in a small venue and see a band that is having fun, because that’s what they had,” Neumann said. “It is going to be a true to life Van Halen show from the late 70s.”

JUMP’s touring schedule is nearly nonstop and branches well outside the United States. The band performs in cities large and small as near as Alpena and as far away as Australia.

Friends Together Executive Director Melissa Burns said the idea to hire JUMP to lead the fundraising effort stemmed from her seeing a video of JUMP’s performances and knew quickly she had to find a way to bring them to town.

“I saw them doing ‘Hot for Teacher’ and I knew right away we needed to bring them to Alpena somehow,” Burns said. “They are just so talented and so high energy and fun, I think everyone will have a blast.”

She said Friends Together will keep 100% of the proceeds from the ticket sales and the Brown Trout will keep the money from beverage sales. Burns said funds will be used to help pay for Friends Together’s transportation and housing programs that help people who need cancer treatment out of town pay for gas and a hotel stay. Burns said a portion of the money will also go toward the many other programs and services Friends Together offers.

All of the programs and services Friends Together offers are free.

Neumann said JUMP was founded by him in 2019 on a whim. He said he wanted to form a cover band, but a friend suggested creating a Van Halen tribute band because of how closely Neumann’s appearance and voice lined up with Roth’s. He said he wasn’t a giant Van Halen fan, but had seen them live, and once the band began to rehearse and perform, he gained an appreciation for its musicianship and showmanship.

Neumann added that Van Halen is one of the hardest bands to copy because of the guitar wizardry of the late Eddie Van Halen, the bass and vocal skills of Michael Anthony, and Roth’s unique vocal style, gymnastic abilities, and strong stage persona.

“No, we’re not them, but we try to be as close to them as we can out of respect for them,” Neumann said.

Van Halen took the music scene by storm after it released its self-titled album in 1978 and the classic songs like “Ain’t Talkin’ ’bout Love,” “You Really Got Me,” and “Runnin’ with the Devil” still receive heavy airplay on rock stations around the world today.

After a long string of platinum albums, in 1984 the band released its album titled “1984.”

The album peaked at No. 2 on Billboard and only Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” held it back from claiming the top spot.

The first single off the album, “Jump,” was the band’s first number one hit and was followed by other hits including “Hot for Teacher” and “Panama.”

After a falling out with his bandmates, Roth launched a solo career shortly after the “1984” world tour. Van Halen replaced Roth with Sammy Hagar and continued its Billboard success, but Roth returned to the band in 2006 until the band disbanded in 2020 after Eddie Van Halen passed away.

Over the years, Van Halen has sold 75 million albums worldwide, with its first album leading the way with a total of 11.8 million copies. The album “1984” sold 11,777,305 copies.

Van Halen was admitted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006.

Tickets to tonight’s show in the Veolia Big Tent are available on the band’s website, jumptribute.com and at the door if the event is not sold out in advance.

The cost of a ticket is $20. The gate to the tent opens at 6 p.m. and the concert begins at 7 p.m. The band The Last One Out is the opening act.

Steve Schulwitz can be reached at 989-358-5689 or sschulwitz@TheAlpenaNews.com. Follow him on X @ss_alpenanews.com.