(singing singing) - Start with music and people will come.

- We're doing this because we love it.

But to be able to do this to help other people, I don't know that I have the word.

It's incredible to be able to do that.

Tommy and I were business partners in our band years ago and lost touch with each other for a long time.

- Years and years go by and where I live out here in Wolverine Lake, there's a little watering hole that some very dear friends of ours own called the Glengary Inn.

Great place.

It's "Cheers!"

I was walking in the door and I just saw this guy turn around sitting at the bar and he looked at me and I looked at him and I'm like, "oh my God.

What are you doing here?"

And it was just, you know divine in some sense of the word.

- I forgot he even lived out here.

And it all just, ah, just happened, you know?

And bam, bam, bam, bam, bam.

All of a sudden we got everybody back.

We got who we got.

And it's clicking, you know.

Almost Famous.

- Almost Famous.

Almost Famous.

- He says, "hey, I talked to Don, he's in."

And I was like, "you've gotta be kidding me."

For us to get as lucky as we got and to land Randy Peeler who, you know, he's just another guy that you just wouldn't figure that you'd be able to land.

And the rest, you know, is history.

So that's how Almost Famous kind of began.

(rock music plays) And this, you know, was before Eric knew that he was sick.

- I got married right up the road on the lake also.

And three weeks after that, I got diagnosed with stage four tongue cancer all in here.

And I had to figure out how to go home and tell my wife that I just married three weeks earlier.

And of course she was a champ and we kind of got thrust into things pretty quick because it was far along and didn't know what was gonna happen.

You know, the Wolverine Lake community helped me immediately after I found out.

That was immediate.

We had benefits of raising us money back up, giving me rides to my treatments, 'cause I had to be out in Brighton at the U of M hospital out in Brighton every day of the week.

- The Wolverine Lake community is magical.

And for Eric to land here, I don't think it was happenstance.

I think Eric needed the Wolverine Lake community in his life.

- The love.

Again, words elude me for that.

But it was massive.

It was all encompassing.

A big giant hug.

I wanted to play for the people in this community as a way of saying thank you.

I mean, how can I thank them, but I want to play for them.

And so I got with Tommy and that's where we put it together.

The Almost Famous Cancer Benefit concert benefiting Cure Childhood Cancer.

- And I went and talked to a gentleman named Mike Knish.

And Mike Knish is one of our Wolverine villagers who is an incredible person.

And Mike helped us secure Mallow Beach, which is a park that is right on the water on Wolverine Lake.

And it is perfect for what we want to do, because it's not just about having a space, it's about creating an atmosphere.

It's camping, it's coolers, it's really good friends and people.

(rock band plays) - And we have a big giant barge that we pull up and that is our stage.

We pull it right up to the land, so people can come and watch us from the land.

And we also have people on the lake come out on boats.

And it's a beautiful thing.

Everybody just rocks out with us and has a good time.

We're asking for a $10 donation, so we're not charging anything.

If you don't have anything and you wanna come and enjoy it with us, absolutely welcome.

But we are asking for donations just to help out.

You know, it's all going to the charity Cure Childhood Cancer they help children with cancer and their families, support, financial support, and other kinds of support for the kids when they're in the hospital.

They try and make it affordable and easy so it doesn't wreck people financially and otherwise.

Not to mention emotionally.

Having gone what I went through, I can't imagine a child going through that not knowing why or what.

That just, it blows me away.

There are two other acts before us on the bill and both of them are wonderful.

You know, a guy named Rob, or Kenny and Rob, a guy plays acoustic and a guy has a beatbox he plays on, they're pretty cool, local.

And then some friends of ours they're called Wax Radio.

They're doing cover band thing out of Detroit.

And then Almost Famous, we're gonna come out, and wrap the night up.

And I have a surprise or two on onboard.

And it's a labor of love.

It really is.

And it's a beautiful thing.

I'm hoping to be able to donate even more than we did last year and to help children.

- You're gonna be fulfilled.

If you come out, you're gonna have a great time.

More importantly, you're gonna be fulfilled by the fact that you're doing something incredible for people that need you.

- I hope people will come out and celebrate with us.

And this is a celebration also.

I like that word.

Of music and love and care and hope and all of that yummy stuff.

We're gonna rock and roll and just be together.

I'm aware of what could happen, but it ain't happening today and I'm pretty sure it's not gonna happen tomorrow.

And I'm gonna see that stage again with my family and my friends.

And I'm gonna express myself and my love the way I know how to best.

(rock band playing)