The Jersey Shore always does it best, and Sea Hear Now 2024 (SHN) was no exception. Day one of the Asbury Park music festival was packed with iconic talent, most of which had never been to NJ. I was lucky enough to experience the festival as a general admission attendee and let me tell you, it was anything but “general.”
I started my SHN day with the free yoga class on the beach with Lisa Brodrick, the founder of Ohana Rising Yoga School. Brodrick set the calm tone for the entire day, reminding the class to find their inner center before our adventure began at 12PM. As my friends and I started to roll up our yoga mats, we spotted someone who looked familiar, and to our surprise, it was the one and only Ziggy Alberts, an Australian musician who was set to perform on Sand Stage that very afternoon.
My friend yelled, “Are you Ziggy?” To which he replied, “Sometimes!” and waved us over to chat. He asked what songs we wanted to hear and if we were excited for the headliner, Noah Kahan. We talked for a while until it was time to say goodbye, only to later see him running down Ocean Ave, where he spotted us, waved, and blew us a kiss.
This interaction with an artist is something you won’t get at a big mainstream music festival. SHN puts the artists on the same level as the festival goers and gives you the chance for face-to-face moments with the talent.
The first performance was the singer Bo Staloch and his band who were a last-minute addition all the way from Nashville, TN. Staloch, while small in the SHN scheme of things, opened for country singer Wyatt Flores, who has three million monthly listeners on Spotify. What better way to put Staloch on the map than performing in the same festival as Kahan and Bruce Springsteen?
Staloch and his raw vocals made it so easy to love every single note that came out of his mouth. He even performed an unreleased song (at the time), “Santa Fe,” which dropped Sept. 20. “Somethings gotta break,” he sings in the song, and maybe that will be his.
Just like my interaction with Alberts, later on in the evening, I saw Staloch and his band on the jetty’s. His guitarist, Ronin Kiekbusch, and drummer, Jonathan Sayler, waved to my friend and me, making our entire night special.
Later, I made my way over to see the folk gypsy, Sierra Ferrell. If you’re not familiar with Ferrell’s solo music then you might know her duets with Zach Bryan and Post Malone. Ferrell let her smooth but twangy voice remain the center of attention the moment she stepped out onstage. No bells and whistles, just the music. She sang her most notable songs, “In Dreams,” “American Dreaming,” and “Dollar Bill Bar.” Ferrell and her talented band brought the country to the beach. Talk about a coastal cowgirl dream!
While going to get some food at the vendor tents near Park Stage, I heard singing coming from the Transparent Clinch Gallery Art Tent. It was singer Joe P, who just performed on Sand Stage. If you want to have a more intimate performance from an artist, I suggest waiting around by the tent. You never know who might show up!
Heading back over to the beach, female rock singer, Grace Potter performed on Sand Stage. I had studied Potter’s discography all summer, so I was ecstatic to see her live. Dressed in a fiery red dress, Potter rocked out on stage while playing various instruments like the piano, guitar, and tambourine. If the name Grace Potter sounds familiar, it’s probably because she wrote a song for the very popular Disney princess movie, “Tangled.” I went into this dying to hear “Something That I Want,” from the movie, but it wasn’t on the previous setlists. I nearly died when I heard the beginning tune of the song play. The instant recognition the crowd was priceless. After thanking TikTok for launching her “Tangled” hit back onto people’s radar, she sang “Stars,” another song the audience knew. Potter did not disappoint!
Making my way over to Surf Stage, was a nightmare due to the “blanket zone.” Hopefully, SHN will modify that next year or people will just have to accept that if you have a blanket on the ground, chances are it’s gonna get stepped on.
One thing I did notice as I was walking through the crowd was the outfit choice. The flowy skirts, boho tops, and maxi dresses, fit the aesthetic perfectly.
Setting the mood before Kahan, was the 80s rock band, The Black Crowes. Their setlist highlighted their hits like, “Twice As Hard,” “Hard to Handle,” and “She Talks To Angels.” Lead singer, Christopher Mark Robinson, made sure everyone knew they were the real deal by saying, “Hey kids, that’s what f***ing Rock N’ Roll sounds like!” Robinson loved to use the stage and mic stand to his advantage, making the audience hoot and holler at his boldness. They ended with “Remedy,” dedicating Perry Farrell of the band, Jane’s Addiction who canceled their tour due to an onstage incident.
After The Black Crowes left and waiting one long, elbow-pushing, middle-aged men heckling hour, Kahan took the stage. The lights flickered as fans screamed over the drums of “Dial Drunk,” as he ran out.
Kahan sang all of his hit songs off his album “Stick Season,” including “All My Love,” “She Calls Me Back,” “You’re Gonna Go Far,” “Northern Attitude,” and “Call Your Mom.” His warm raw vocals and depth, squashed all the negativity in the air that he “wasn’t fit to headline.” Kahan’s pure love for performing and humble behavior is the reason he is so successful. He left the stage briefly, only to return to play three more songs, “Young Blood,” “A View Between Villages,” and last but not least “Stick Season.”
I’ve been to many concerts but there is nothing quite comparable to screaming the lyrics, “You once called me forever, now you still can’t call me back,” on the beach. Between Kahan’s “Springsteen” denim outfit and hilarious jokes about traffic and divorce, Kahan made people smile. His music has the ability to capture the good, bad, and the uncomfortable bringing together a whole beach for an hour and thirty minutes (if only it was longer). I hope the fans made his first time in NJ a memorable.
The atmosphere of SHN is unmatched. There is something so special about the Jersey Shore and the underappreciated music legacy this state has. The bar has been set for next year, let’s hope Danny Clinch can replicate another amazing weekend!
