The second annual Sea.Hear.Now Festival happened over the weekend in Asbury Park, and it’s safe to say, it’ll be back for another year.
The festival was sold out for months, and a whopping 35,000 concertgoers flocked to the three stages in front of and adjacent to Convention Hall. With headliners of The Lumineers and Dave Matthews Band, and thirty other bands including the Dropkick Murphys, punk legends Bad Religion, reggae heavyweights Steel Pulse, funky bands like Ripe and Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, and much more, it was bound to be a fun weekend.
The festival was not solely about music, however. There were also professional Jersey surfers showing their chops, surfboard shapers crafting from scratch, yoga sessions, and an art gallery. The art gallery featured pieces from the festival’s musicians, and festival co-founder Danny Clinch. The gallery also featured intimate performances from spontaneous performers, including Blind Melon and Lowlight.
Day one featured stellar performances from Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, English rockers The Struts, and indie Rainbow Kitten Surprise. Following that, Bad Religion took the stage, and your humble narrator lost control of his inner punk. Their set-list featured their hits, news songs, and deeper cuts like “Anesthesia,” “The Dichotomy,” and “End of History.”
To wrap up Day one, The Lumineers serenaded us with their inspiring brand of folky-alternative. Being in Asbury Park, they had to pay homage to Bruce Springsteen, by covering “Thunder Road.” All of us held our breath for the appearance of The Boss, but we were left hoping.
Day two began with Toms River based band Brick + Mortar, Dave Hause and the Mermaid, and then Ripe. All three of those bands were extremely talented and cohesive.
Steel Pulse succeeded Ripe, and sounded just as good as their records. They’re one of the most important reggae bands of all time and their lyrical activism was just as potent as when they first started.
Then, Marcus King played the blues, and he didn’t disappoint. His voice is raspy, his guitar tone is somewhere between Albert King and Dickie Betts, and his playing is unmatched. Halfway through his set, he brought out special guest saxophonist Jake Clemons, son of late E-Street sax man Clarence. Lastly, they covered Bruce’s “Born to Run,” and Jake became Clarence in that sax solo everyone knows.
After that, the B-52s, St. Paul and the Broken Bones, Dispatch, and the Dropkick Murphys tore Asbury apart. Again, the punk in me had to mosh to the Irish punks in the Dropkick Murphys.
To close the festival, Dave Matthews Band came to the stage, and with 35,000 new friends, we sang along to the songs we knew, and danced with jaunt. They covered “Dancing in the Dark,” and again, no Bruce. But we had Dave, Tim, Stefan, Carter, and the rest of the boys, which was good enough for me.
IMAGE TAKEN from NJ.com
