Jared’s Jam will return to RiversEdge on July 13

Jared’s Jam, a concert to honor Hamilton native, Jared Whalen will be held at RiversEdge Amphitheater on July 13, starting at 5 p.m. There will be four acts on the line-up this year and My Son The Hurricane will headline the event. CONTRIBUTED

Credit: Colin Smith

Credit: Colin Smith

Jared’s Jam, a concert to honor Hamilton native, Jared Whalen will be held at RiversEdge Amphitheater on July 13, starting at 5 p.m. There will be four acts on the line-up this year and My Son The Hurricane will headline the event. CONTRIBUTED

RiversEdge Amphitheater will host Jared’s Jam — a concert to honor Hamilton native Jared Whalen — on July 13.

“Jared loved music, and we initially did this as a one-time event with the Whalen family, but they found that their family, Jared’s friends, and really the entire community rallied around the event, so they decided to keep it going,” said Adam Helms, director of resident services, city of Hamilton.

Like last year, the event will be a multi-band event that will be held on the same day as Hamilton Flea. My Son The Hurricane will headline the event.

Jared’s Jam will be held on July 13, beginning at 5 p.m., following Hamilton Flea, which will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. There are four bands on the lineup, including Magnolia Boulevard (performing at 5 p.m.), Hot Brown Smackdown (6:15 p.m.), The Wilson Springs Hotel (7:45 p.m.), and My Son The Hurricane, which will headline the concert at 9:15 p.m.

Jared’s Jam and Hamilton Flea are both free to attend and open to the public.

According to Jack Whalen, Jared’s dad, one of Jared’s big interests was music. He was a creative individual who loved music. He made a list one time of 12 or 13 things he liked to do, and the first thing on the list was music.

Jared, 44, died from heart failure in August of 2018. At the time of his passing, he was an executive chef at Coach House Tavern & Grille. Whalen was a 1993 graduate of Hamilton High School. He loved music of all kinds, and if there was live music in Hamilton, he always tried to support it.

Jared also liked painting and restoring old Volkswagens. He had a couple of old Volkswagen bugs. He liked hiking, biking and architecture, and he had even hiked on the Appalachian Trail. He enjoyed exploring different things, and he loved the outdoors.

Whalen’s family is actively involved in the concert planning. Jared’s brothers John and James work with Adam Helms at RiversEdge on selecting the bands that play at the annual concert. Jared and his brothers shared the love of music.

Previous performers at Jared’s Jam have included Chris Robinson Brotherhood, North Mississippi Allstars, Spafford, Red Clay Strays, Cole Chaney, and J & The Causeways.


How to go

What: Jared’s Jam

When: 5 p.m. July 13

Where: RiversEdge Amphitheater at Marcum Park, 116 Dayton Street, downtown Hamilton

Admission: Free

More information: riversedgelive.com and facebook.com/HamiltonRiversEdge. (*Set times subject to change.)

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