W hat could be better than another year of iconic bands, nostalgia, and ultimate vibes all on one of Jersey’s most beloved beaches? Asbury Park hosted over 35,000 music lovers on both Sept. 13 and 14 for Sea.Hear.Now music festival.
Just when you think it couldn’t get bigger and better, Sea.Hear.Now not only expanded the festival grounds, but provided more options in every avenue. From more food options and drink stations to a bigger Transparent Clinch Gallery pop up tent, the layout had space for all. I had the absolute honor of receiving a two-day media pass on behalf of The Outlook, to spend my weekend under the sun with some of the greatest bands and artists.
I started the day off seeing NOT YER BABY at Park Stage after getting the most delicious Offshore Coffee Co. latte. This punk rock band was unlike anything I’ve experienced. The musicians in this band were so talented, you could tell they were putting their souls into performing. However, I can’t say the same for their lead singer, known as Carrot. Her vocal choices were interesting, but it could’ve been the festival excitement of it all. Aside from the singer forgetting the lyrics to their own song, I enjoyed their revamped cover of Thelma Houston’s 1977 hit, “Don’t Leave Me This Way.”
Later on at Park Stage was Irish rock band Inhaler, featuring Elijah Hewson, Robert Keating, Josh Jenkinson, and Ryan McMahon. The moment these four stepped on stage a collective sigh from the women in the audience was hard to ignore. There’s no doubt most of their enthusiasm was for front man Hewson and his undeniable star quality. The band opened with “Dublin in Ecstasy” and continued to feed the crowd with their energy and vice versa. My favorites were “It Won’t Always Be Like This,” “Your House,” and “My Honest Face.” Their performance was so good it had the crowd dancing and jumping, with minimal phones in sight. This band is truly a gift and soon they’ll be drawing in huge crowds just for them.
Park Stage was full of awesome artists including New Jersey native, Gigi Perez, known for her viral hit “Sailor Song.” She expressed how it was so good to be back in the place she was born. “I’ve just been soaking it in,” she said to the crowd.
Perez’s voice is unlike any other, her rasp and gravel is something folk artists can only dream of. Perez performed most of her latest album, “At the Beach, in Every Life,” including the very title track. She was soothing, emotional, and raw as she performed “Sleeping,” “Fable,” and “Normalcy.” However, my favorite moment was “Sugar Water,” when she invited her younger sister Bella Perez to the stage to finish the song with her. As an older sister, this moment meant the world as you could see the love and admiration between them.
Leaving the grass, I headed over to Sand Stage for Australia’s very own Royel Otis. I won’t lie, I’m a pretty big fan, so this performance was highly anticipated. The band played a good amount from their newest album “hickey,” including, “i hate this tune,” “moody,” and “car.” Their overall performance was effortlessly chill.
Otis Pavlovic and Royel Maddell have mastered the art of natural talent and charisma. The audience absolutely ate it up and there wasn’t a time where anyone wasn’t smiling. The best part was the screams from the crowd when the tune of “Murder on the Dancefloor” by Sophie Ellis-Bextor began to play.
Royel Otis knows how to cover a song and make it entirely their own. The duo ended their set with a bang, performing their most well known song “Oysters In My Pocket.” Sand between my toes with the ocean crashing in the background as, “Oh well, that’s miles away,” was sung is a core memory for sure.
Headlining Saturday night was none other than Irish singer-songwriter, Hozier. While his entrance singing “Nobody’s Soldier,” felt a little abrupt, he quickly made up for it. He performed songs from his debut album like “Jackie and Wilson,” “Someone New,” and “Angel of Small Death and the Codeine Scene.” His band and backup singers only added to his unearthly sound combining soul, folk, and blues. Hozier surprised everyone by appearing on a second stage towards the center of the GA crowd, where he performed “Cherry Wine” and “Unknown/Nth.” His connection with the crowd was undeniable and the perfect balance to Sunday’s headliner.
Hozier also made a point to mention how lucky we are to live in a society full of free speech, expression, and love. It’s important that music continues to unite and not divide, as Hozier preached.
Day two of the festival was just as entertaining and memorable. Starting the day off at Park Stage with some delicious chicken dumplings and the sounds of Surfing For Daisy. The band definitely had fans in the audience and gained some new ones as “Daisy” chants erupted. Their song “Acrobat” from their self-titled 2025 album, was incredible. Lead singer, Nick Francis proved this band isn’t going anywhere.
Later in the day, rock band 4 Non Blondes destroyed the main stage on the beach, not literally of course, but with their attitude and performance.
Lead singer Linda Perry has the coolest rock voice and an entertaining personality. Perry made comments about the song “Drama Queen” and her personal conflicts with Courtney Love, as well as joking about starting a Raya dating profile. Her profile would read, “Aging rockstar looking for billionaire sugar mommy, offering nothing in return.” Her passion and connection to the audience during “What’s Up?” was beautiful. I hope the audience fulfilled Perry’s plead of “fucking feeding her fucking soul,” during their set.
Rockstar legend, and four time Grammy winner, Lenny Kravitz took the stage around 7:10PM. While the singer did run over his allotted time slot, he put on one heck of a performance. True rock n’ roll isn’t dead where Kravitz is concerned! He performed “Paralyzed,” “It Ain’t Over ‘Til It’s Over,” and “American Woman.” As one could expect Kravitz’s vocals were unmatched, as was him checking in on the crowd asking, “Are we okay?” The production value and incorporation of pyro made his set so entertaining with the “wow” factor.
Before venturing through the endless crowd of fans to see the one and only Blink-182, I stopped by Park Stage for another iconic 90s band, Sublime. The band’s original singer, Bradley Nowell died of a heroin overdose back in 1996, but in 2023 his son, Jakob Nowell grabbed the mic for him. Nowell and the original band members, Eric Wilson and Bud Gaugh joined together to perform some of Sublime’s most beloved tracks, including, “Wrong Way,” “Doin’ Time,” and “Santeria.” After seeing this band live, it’s clear Sublime has plenty of OG fans as well as ones from newer generations.
Ending this incredible weekend was Blink-182, who were as awesome and talented as they were grossly hilarious. It was like a comedy show in between songs of Tom DeLonge and Mark Hoppus joking about each other’s genitalia. Prior to them taking the stage it was unclear if rockstar drummer Travis Barker would be playing. He had posted a photo on his Instagram around 3PM of a positive COVID-19 test with an “ugh” emoji.
Nonetheless, Barker was onstage and performing with the utmost enthusiasm. His energy while drumming and singing “FUCK FACE” was wild. The band itself was full of youth, nostalgia, and humor. They sang the classics like “All The Small Things,” “I Miss You,” “What’s My Age Again?” and “Feeling This.” I don’t think anyone will ever forget singing these songs on the beach, especially the die hard fans in the crowd. Just like Sublime fans, Sea.Hear.Now always brings together multi-generational groups for one unforgettable night.
Sea.Hear.Now weekend was certainly a success in my book and something I’ll look back on until next year’s lineup is announced. As Blink-182 said, “Nice on, Assberry Park!”
