The Sea.Hear.Now festival returned to Asbury Park on September 13th and 14th, drawing a crowd of 35,000 to the waterfront. This year, the festival featured an expanded perimeter stretching from 4th Avenue to around 8th Avenue.
“Soon it’s going to engulf all of Asbury Park,” joked Mary from Bradley Beach. “I can hear it all the way at my house.”
Many attendees welcomed the changes to the layout. “The food court and moving the gallery out of Bradley Park made things easier to navigate this year,” said Brian from Ocean, who has attended all seven iterations of the festival. “The gallery space being on the beach makes it more of a destination,” he added, on his way to an acoustic set in the Pop-Up Gallery, which also showcased art from several performers.
Saturday was headlined by Hozier, who closed out ten and a half hours of live music. The day’s lineup included LCD Soundsystem, Royel Otis, Alabama Shakes, Remi Wolf, De La Soul, ZZ Top, Gigi Perez, Trombone Shorty, UB40, Inhaler, Mondo Cozmo, Bumpin Uglies, and local favorites Not Yer Baby and Hoboken’s Phoneboy.
Sunday was anchored by Blink-182, who delivered a set spanning their entire catalog. The day also featured Sublime, Phantogram, Lenny Kravitz, TV on the Radio, Hot Mulligan, Public Enemy (with a surprise appearance from DMC), Spoon, Mannequin Pussy, 4 Non Blondes, Grace Bowers, Landon McNamara, Neal Francis, and local sets from Asbury Park based bands Surfing for Daisy and The Tide Bends.
Beyond the music, the festival offered a variety of activities including surf contests, morning beach yoga, and a wide selection of food vendors—both local and not-so-local. “I’m noticing a lot of photo op displays and brand activations this year, maybe more than previous years,” observed Ron from Jersey City.
A new addition this year was the official “Kickoff on Cookman,” held Friday evening. It featured performances by Brick + Mortar, Kuf Knotz, Boardwalk Social Club, students from Lakehouse Music Academy, and main stage artists Bumpin Uglies. Cookman Avenue was closed to traffic for the event.
“I feel like they’re trying to get people downtown too, not just to the waterfront,” said Asbury Park resident Ashley. “I think that was a complaint from local businesses since the beginning of the festival. Maybe this is the answer? There are definitely more people here than usual before the festival.”
The post-festival “Late Night Shows” continued to be a source of excitement and speculation. Attendees buzzed about who might appear at “The Ocean Ave Stomp” at the Stone Pony, featuring Tangiers Blues Band and The Ocean Avenue Stompers. Special guests included Trombone Shorty, Grace Bowers, and Not Yer Baby. Other late-night acts included Landon McNamara, G. Love & Special Sauce, and local talent showcases from Jarod Clemons, Blaise, and Echo Plum.
“There are bands playing all over town this weekend with no cover,” said Dan from Manasquan. "I call it 'Free Hear Now' because from Low Dive to the distillery there are bands playing all over town this weekend with no cover."
Sea.Hear.Now is produced by Austin-based C3 Presents—the team behind Lollapalooza, Austin City Limits, Bonnaroo, and more than 30 other festivals—alongside local organizers Danny Clinch and Tim Donnelly.