Tribute bands are the hottest trend in live music at the moment. Within that genre, bands are divided into two camps; those that just approximate an artist’s music, and those that try to re-create a performer’s look and sound. With the exception of The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, it’s almost exclusively solo performers whose image is re-created, with Elvis and Johnny Cash among the most popular of those performers being emulated. Closing out the top three would be Neil Diamond, whose 40 years of hits makes him a perfect candidate for cross-generational appeal. Southern California has many top-notch tribute performers playing Diamond’s music, but beyond his trademark sparkly shirt, none can match Hot August Night!, which performs as part of the Point Loma Summer Concert Series at Point Loma Park on Aug. 7 at 6 p.m. Led by Neil Diamond look-a-like Dean Colley and named after Diamond’s classic 1972 live album, the band plays music from throughout the singer/songwriter’s career, specializing in Diamond’s ’60s hits. Though now a seasoned frontman, Colley’s introduction to the music world came about completely by accident. As the assistant social director of his fraternity during the early ’80s, Colley had trouble finding enough bands to play functions, so often found himself using his brother’s cover band. “At one event, my brother was the only musician that showed up,” Colley said. “So to sort of save the day, I joined him. We entertained with the eight songs we knew.” With a two-hour slot to fill, the duo played the songs several times, though in slightly different versions, shifting subtly from jazz to rock. What could have been a disaster instead hooked Colley on a lifetime in music. “I really enjoyed the response,” Colley said. “I had been leaning toward a medical career, but decided I was going to set the world alight with my music. It didn’t quite pan out that way.” He started to perform in 1981 and by 1985 he had become a full time musician, playing a mix of classic rock and originals. For the next decade, he gigged throughout the Southland until an offhand comment from an audience member showed him the way. “Someone came up to me after a set and said, ‘You know what? You look like Neil Diamond,’” Colley said. “That started the whole thing.” A full-time Diamond impersonator since 1997, he cites Diamond’s early classics such as “Solitary Man” or “Cracklin’ Rosie” as the biggest crowd pleasers. Colley said some concertgoers are only familiar with Diamond’s music through later covers such as “I’m A Believer,” used in the movie Shrek, or UB40’s hit version of “Red Red Wine.” “His songs have been everywhere, from films to commercials,” Colley said. “We get both the fans who like to have a night from 30 years ago re-created and a younger crowd who might only know us through their children’s listening habits.” Diamond has more than 30 albums to his credit, but only one of his songs is actively avoided by Hot August Night! “’Heartlight” has a difficult arrangement,” Colley said. “The lineup for our band can sometimes change from gig to gig and it’s something that requires a lot of preparation.” Unusual for a tribute act, Colley occasionally includes an original song in the set. “Sometimes we announce them, sometimes we just wait and see what the response is,” he said. “The music isn’t too dissimilar to the things that are already in our set list, so they’ve gone down well.” While Colley hasn’t completely given up the possibility of one day performing his own music exclusively, he’s more than happy with where Hot August Night! has taken him. Highlights over the last 12 years spent performing as Neil Diamond include a concert for 30,000 people at a military base in Japan and a regular circuit of outdoor summer shows. While Diamond, at 68, is heading toward retirement, Colley sees no reason why Hot August Night! can’t continue indefinitely. “In this day and age, as long as there is vim and vigor, there is no reason not to,” Colley said. “The music is timeless. Seeing the audiences enjoying themselves is enough reason to make me want to do it.” Hot August Night! performs Friday Aug. 7 at 6 p.m. at the free Point Loma Summer Concert Series at Point Loma Park (Catalina Boulevard and Varona Street). The concert is open to all ages. For more information, visit www.plconcerts.org.