Sea.Hear.Now – what a year for this fest! Some of the biggest names in music joined forces with the local scene Asbury Park that we already know and love for two days filled with everything you’d ever want from a festival right on the beach.
Getting right into the two days down the shore for S.H.N., fans were lined up and ready to experience everything the festival had to offer hours before doors opened. The music had the most exceptional start, though, and opening each stage for the weekend were Yawn Mower, Quincy Mumford, and Surfer Girl. Already, I knew this was going to be my favorite festival yet. The crowds were so excited to be able to hang out on the beach and listen to some great music, and this was just the beginning.
English rock duo Royal Blood absolutely crushed their set on Saturday. They were also the beginning of my 16,000 steps-a-day journey to catch six artists back to back all on different stages, which was exhausting in the best way possible. Over on the Park Stage, I got to see Tash Sultana blow the minds of every single person in their crowd by crafting each part of their songs live instrument-by-instrument. They were absolutely incredible and I’m still at a loss for words over how much sheer talent that takes.
Sheryl Crow lit up the main stage with classic after classic. I even heard some people saying after the set, “I didn’t realize that song was Sheryl Crow! I love that song!” Also on the main stage, one of my favorite modern rock groups had the attention of what felt like every person at the festival – Greta Van Fleet. Complete with rhinestones, sparklers, and fire cannons, and still combined with insane instrumentals and the vocals the group always brings to the table, it’s safe to say this was one of my favorite sets of the weekend. I popped over to the Park Stage one more time before the headliner to see Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats fill that stage with so much joy.
[L-R Clockwise: Surfer Girl, John Stamos with The Beach Boys, S.H.N attendees / Photos by Alyssa Rasp)
Now, we are telling you this with certainty: the energy across the beach was contagious. I don’t even think it needs to be said, but The Killers were the perfect close to day one. With an hour-and-a-half to play, every single person at the festival was as close as they could get to that stage to see the incredible performance.
With a fresh sunburn and sand already in my shoes, day two was underway. I caught Garden State native Adam Melchor on the Sand Stage wearing a Devils jersey, and watching him onstage felt like he was just hanging out with his friends instead of playing to a huge crowd of people.
Stephen Sanchez hit the Park Stage next, and that was one I was not going to miss. Drawing a massive crowd, he had every person there on their feet and moving. I passed Joey Valence & Brae on the Sand Stage on my way to the main stage and, wow, do those guys have killer stage presence. It was the perfect level of hype I needed as a pick-me-up in the middle of the day. They had everyone on the boardwalk and in their crowd dancing.
The rest of the day was a big deal to me. I got to see The Beach Boys live in 2023. (What a wild sentence to write.) It gets crazier, though – they were joined by John Stamos on guitar and drums. It was an insane hour of hearing their hits with a Ramones cover thrown in to pleasure of everyone in Asbury Park. All these years later and The Beach Boys are still crushing it.
I headed over to catch Mt. Joy’s set next – an all-time favorite. Somehow I’ve never seen them play live, but I’m so glad that changed this weekend. What an incredibly talented group of musicians! The fans showed up loud and proud, screaming the lyrics to every song. It was truly an infectious atmosphere to be part of.
Now, it’s possible people forget just how good Weezer is, because they can do it all. They were such a big part of my first experiences listening to music growing up, as it was for many. (I had their music on my first MP3 player when I was about seven years old… thanks, Dad!). It was a really cool full circle moment for me hearing those same songs played live perfectly.
I ended the weekend on arguably my biggest “career moment” yet – photographing Foo Fighters. Did it pour rain 20 minutes before and continue to throughout the set? Yes. Did that dampen anyone’s mood? Absolutely not. There was arguably more energy in the rain for the Foos than there would’ve been had it just been the gorgeous weather we had all weekend. The crowd (which spanned the entire beach, boardwalk, and street) was dancing, head banging, and singing for the entire headlining set. It was one of the best shows I’ve seen in my life, because, my God, those guys can rock.
Still, jaw-dropping performance after foot-tapping performance, Sea.Hear.Now is more than just the music. The whole festival was infused with what makes Asbury Park great. Food, art, land – you name it.
Photos by Alyssa Rasp
AP favorites like Mogo, Betty’s Icebox, and Local 130 Seafood (among many others) kept everyone at the Sea.Hear.Now. well fed throughout the weekend. Festivalgoers also got the chance to stop by numerous different activations like an Aperol Spritz booth and the Hendrick’s Gin Boat Bar for drinks and an experience within an experience.
Everyone who knows Asbury Park knows Danny Clinch AKA one of the best music photographers in the game for the last few decades. This year, the Transparent Gallery pop-up was full of art created by performers at the festival. And, as always, artists played pop-up performances on the stage in the tent, drawing a crowd in a super intimate setting. I got the chance to catch the Whodat? Live Crew in between sets (which I’m really glad I did since I missed them earlier in the day). There were also tons of art pieces throughout the fest grounds created by incredibly talented local artists. It left me beyond impressed with the talent that continues to exist in our area!
Attendees were gifted with not only beautiful weather but perfect waves for the North Beach Surf Contest. Crowds flocked to the very edge of the shore to watch the best East Coast surfers compete, and when I tell you they were so good, I’m serious. We don’t know much about surfing outside of catching it at this festival every year, so we’re possibly easily impressed, but judging by the crowd’s awe, the surfers actually were just that amazing.
Art, music, surfing, snacks, and friends all in our backyard of Asbury Park? Who could ever ask for anything else? Sea.Hear.Now 2023 was one for the books, and I can’t wait to see how they top this next year!
VISIT SEA.HEAR.NOW’S WEBSITE FOR UPDATES ON NEXT YEAR, HIGHLIGHTS FROM THIS YEAR, MORE INFORMATION ON VENDORS & EXPERIENCES, & EVERYTHING ELSE!
