By Jack Beja
Correspondent
The annual Sea Hear Now festival returned to the Asbury Park beach, featuring headliners Hozier and Blink-182, along with other notable artists like LCD Soundsystem, Sublime and Lenny Kravitz. The festival also has dozens of surfers out in the water, vendors from many different restaurants selling food and tons of merchandise from businesses.
The seventh year of the festival was expected to have tens of thousands of fans lining the beach, listening to their favorite artists perform their favorite songs, trying all different kinds of foods, and meeting people from all over the world who traveled here.
On Saturday, after a wrench was thrown in my plans, I arrived a few hours late, but made it just in time for the 7:35 band LCD Soundsystem.
LCD Soundsystem was electric on the Stone Pony Summer Stage. Their EDM, lights and stage presence were absolutely enchanting.
The headliner of the night was Hozier, and despite getting to the festival several hours late, I was able to push my way through to get a great view of the performance. Hozier captivated the audience, with many people around us frequently calling the songs a “religious experience.”
The crowd at the festival was energetic for the 90-minute set, screaming the words to “Take Me to Church” and the ocean breeze cooling everyone down as they were singing and dancing.
Unfortunately, yet another wrench was thrown into the plans for Sunday, except this time, my festival attendance did not persevere.
Sunday’s headliner was Blink 182, along with other performers like Sublime, Lenny Kravitz and Public Enemy. This ’90s-2000s rock throwback lineup was sure to get an enticed and excited crowd down to the beach.
The festival notably had an art exhibit, in which performers on the various stages donated or created art to be put on display. There were a ton of murals and sculptures that made for a lot of good scenery, especially for pictures.
A big draw of the festival was the surf competition, in which surfers from all over the region show off their skills. It is really engaging as a time to take a break from all the excitement and sit and watch the surfers.
There is also a huge section full of food trucks, with tons of local businesses getting the chance of exposure at the festival. There was a variety of foods from American, Indian, Mexican, and Asian cuisine to choose from.
The festival is also a great opportunity to discover new artists. Earlier in the day, a lot of smaller artists get the chance to play short sets, and checking them out can help find your new favorite band.
Performing at Sea Hear Now for exposure by these small artists is extremely beneficial, and is highlighted by how much the bigger artists bring light to them. Both LCD Soundsystem and Hozier shouted out all the performers who came out earlier.
Overall, Sea Hear Now is a recent staple of the Jersey Shore, and this year's festival is no different. Riding on the backs of past headliners like Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Nicks, Green Day and Foo Fighters, this year really stood up on its own for an unforgettable experience.
Next year’s festival will take place in September, and it is sure to be another celebration of music, art, and culture.
