On Oct. 5, water professionals from across the industry rocked the stages at New Orleans’ Generations Hall and raised $75,500 for water charities as Jammin’4Water held its 10th concert prior to WEFTEC.
Jammin’4Water is an organized charity concert put on by water professionals who also happen to be amateur musicians. The event takes place each year on the Saturday before the Water Environment Federation’s annual Technical Exhibition and Conference (WEFTEC) and has become a pre-conference staple drawing hundreds of people including the musicians, their friends, families, sponsors and WEFTEC attendees.
Musicians and sponsoring companies donate to water charities to secure a stage spot and perform in front of a packed crowd. The set list and personnel on each song are arranged by the musicians and volunteers throughout the year, leading up to only one evening of rehearsal the day before the show for an often 70-plus song set list. Show night features electric and acoustic performances on two stages – a primary stage featuring a full horn section and a secondary stage with a pub-like atmosphere. With performances alternating between the two stages all night, the music never stops.
Jammin’4Water founder and organizer Dave Kinnear never envisioned the event would grow into the pre-WEFTEC draw that it is now, telling WF&M the first show in 2013 consisted of 20 musicians and about 100 of their friends who just wanted to get together to put on some live music when they convened at WEFTEC.
Now Jammin’4Water has become a WEFTEC tradition, with more than 150 musicians actively involved. The Oct. 5 show boasted a 75-song set list that covered a wide range of music genres featuring everything from The Allman Brothers to The Spice Girls.
With the word out about Jammin’4Water, the popularity of the event has not only increased, but so has the quality of the musicians showing up to play, including multi-instrumentalists and those who play in bands or in professional capacities on the side. The Oct. 5 show featured guest appearances by The Spirit of New Orleans Gospel Choir, members of the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra and New Orleans-based violinist Harry Hardin.
Jammin’4Water benefits the WEF Service Project organized by the WEF Students and Young Professionals Committee (SYPC) as well as Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) charities that support initiatives for safe drinking water and global water sustainability. This year, Jammin’4Water raised $75,500, bringing the 10-year total to more than $500,000 (shows were cancelled in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic). This year’s show sold nearly 1,000 tickets and an estimated 800 attended on Oct. 5.
Jammin’4Water will return in 2025. For more info, sponsorship opportunities, tickets and other ways you can get involved, visit jammin4water.org.
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