Third Eye Blind will headline the fourth annual Whale Jam benefit concert at Roadrunner in Brighton on Nov. 15, bringing the 90s hitmakers behind “Semi-Charmed Life” to a show built around ocean conservation. Young the Giant frontman Sameer Gadhia will join the bill the same night.
According to MassLive, the concert will benefit Whale & Dolphin Conservation, described as an international nonprofit working to protect whales and dolphins and the ocean habitats they depend on. The event is presented by Nantucket Crisps and vineyard vines, with additional support from the Nantucket Music Foundation, Harpoon Brewery, Tito’s Handmade Vodka and Sun Cruiser, per the same report.
Doors at Roadrunner, located at 89 Guest St. in Brighton, open at 6 p.m., with Third Eye Blind scheduled to take the stage at 8 p.m. The concert is open to all ages, and tickets can be purchased through Whale Jam’s website.
A Band Built on 90s Radio Staples
Third Eye Blind formed in San Francisco in 1993 and has since racked up hits including “Semi-Charmed Life,” “Jumper” and “How’s It Going to Be,” the report notes. The band’s self-titled 1997 debut album produced three top 10 singles, with “Semi-Charmed Life” peaking at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100.
The group followed up with its sophomore album “Blue” in 1999, which contained the top 20 hit “Never Let You Go.” Five additional albums followed, with 2021’s “Our Bande Apart” serving as the band’s most recent full-length project, according to the article. Frontman Stephan Jenkins is described as a longtime ocean conservation advocate.
Why the Concert Supports Whale Conservation
Hayden Arnot said Whale Jam brings people together to support ocean conservation professionals, a theme that runs through the event’s broader mission. Whale & Dolphin Conservation USA warns that North Atlantic right whales face threats from fishing-gear entanglements and vessel strikes, with a changing climate putting them at higher risk, according to the organization's Whale Jam page.
Estimates of the species’ population vary depending on the source and timing of the count. Whale & Dolphin Conservation USA states that fewer than 400 North Atlantic right whales remain, including 70 reproductive females, while a separate report from WBZ NewsRadio attributed to the same organization put the figure at fewer than 360 whales in the wild, also citing 70 reproductive females. The New England Aquarium, meanwhile, reported a 2024 population estimate of 384 whales, representing a 2.1 percent increase from its recalculated 2023 estimate of 376.
Calf counts for the species also differ by source. Whale & Dolphin Conservation USA reports that 23 calves were born during the North Atlantic right whale calving season running from November 2025 to March 2026, which it calls the highest single-season total in 17 years. The New England Aquarium's October 2025 release put the 2025 calving season total at 11 calves, including four born to first-time mothers.
Part of a Growing Concert Series
Whale Jam has expanded well beyond a single November show. The 2026 Summer Series featured three fundraising concerts — June 14 in New Bedford, July 20 in Nantucket and July 26 in Boston — with proceeds supporting Whale & Dolphin Conservation’s work protecting the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale, per Whale & Dolphin Conservation. Two of those summer shows featured Crooked Coast, which the organization’s page identifies as the 2025 New England Music Awards’ Act of the Year.
The series has also drawn bigger names in past years. A 2025 Whale Jam benefit at MGM Music Hall at Fenway featured O.A.R., The Dip and The Brook & The Bluff, with actor Jason Biggs set to host, WBZ NewsRadio reported. The New Bedford Light separately listed a Whale Jam show at Cisco Brewers & Kitchen with doors at 2 p.m., a 3 p.m. start and a $20 donation, alongside a planned Boston show at Cisco Brewers with performers still to be announced at the time of that listing.
