SeaHearNow 9/17–18/2022 — Asbury Park
SeaHearNow is an annual music festival held on the beach at Asbury Park. Its inaugural event was in September 2018, so this year marks its fourth year — we missed 2020 due to Covid, when nobody went to anything.
I’ve gone to each of the SeaHearNow festivals. I think it’s a great event, usually featuring 20–30 bands across genres, new and old, something for everybody. It draws about 30–50,000 music fans, it’s well organized, lots of food and drink, and it’s kinda the last gasp of summer. And, it’s on the beach, which I probably already said. I love it, including the great sound stages and even the crappy food. I’m a regular.
So, when the event was announced back in February, I scarfed up a bunch of wristbands for a small fortune, figuring friends and family would devour them, as in years past. And I bought on faith, since the Early Bird Special was before the lineup was announced.
Then, the lineup was announced. My family and friends deserted me like I had Long Covid. “The lineup sucks.” “I’m all SeaHearNow’d out.” “I don’t like the crowds.” “I’m skipping it this year.”
Well, screw all that. The lineup is just fine. I like the crowds. I’m going. [Full disclosure: Rob and Liz bought their own tickets. Dariel jumped on my wristband offer immediately. Everybody else sucks.]
A few weeks ago, the SeaHearNow folks announced a couple of late additions to the lineup: Wet Leg, who was all the rage at SXSW 2022 and has been on a global tour, and IDLES, a band I’ve been dying to see based on the rave reviews of their performances they always get. So, yay for me! Now, I’m totally stoked.
Saturday
Admittedly, Saturday’s lineup was, on paper, not as strong as Sunday’s. Dariel and I got to the venue early enough to hear Peach Pit on the Sand Stage. They were ok, but sounded basically like a stoner band, which I guess they are. And, go figure — their fans are stoners, too. So, Dariel and I got some second-hand whiffs, and we survived some obnoxious young’uns who piled up around us. They did play a cover of Hotel California, which I would say was the highlight of their set. Like I said, something for everybody.
Next up at the Sand Stage were the Backseat Lovers, a low-key band who hails from Utah. Their big hit is Kilby Girl, which you can hear here. I’m not a big fan, and their studio work is a bit pop-ish for me, but they put on a great set. Live is always better, and these guys were exhibit A. They had a great attitude, were super grateful to be here, and were generally a class act. Here are a few short clips of them in action.
We moved over to the Park Stage to see My Morning Jacket, another band that sounds kind of meh on their studio work. And again, Live Was Better. They played an energetic set that had a TON more muscle than their Spotify tunes. Here are a couple of short clips to give you some idea.
Last up was Stevie Nicks, she of Fleetwood Mac fame. She’s gotta be at least 170 years old by now, but she belted out tunes from her repertoire, and everybody else’s, for an hour and a half. We’re not big fans, but we did listen to her sing Dreams, Stop Dragging My Heart Around (Tom Petty collaboration), and a cover of Buffalo Springfield’s For What It’s Worth as our exit music from the venue.
Backseat Lovers and My Morning Jacket were pleasant surprises for me, and made the trip to SeaHearNow Saturday totally worth it.
Sunday
Sunday was MONEY. One great band after another. This could take awhile.
First up was UK’s Wet Leg, a late addition to the program. They were the most buzzy band of SXSW in March, packed the room in Austin, and went on to tour the world. They’ve got several big hits like Chaise Longue and Wet Dream, and have a huge fan base of all ages. They’ve only been at this for a couple of years, and have already hit it big. They have a pop-py, light touch, silly lyrics, and playful melodies and hooks, and they’re clearly having fun while they’re playing. And their fans had a blast with every song. Here are a couple of clips.
I stayed at the Park Stage to see IDLES, another band from UK (and friends of Wet Leg). Over the past several months I have seen a ton of IDLES t-shirts, and anybody I ever spoke with swears that they are the best band in the world and put on the greatest shows. I’ve never heard of them, checked out some of their stuff on Spotify, and I don’t get it. There’s nothing here to get too excited about. But their fans are insane about them, so I felt compelled to get a front-row spot.
What a shit show! I know that Live Is Better, but I was totally unprepared for what IDLES unleashed at their show. First off, they amped it up way past eleven, and blew me away with their energy and passion. Hard, punk, UK rock. And their politics are pretty clear: “Fuck The King!”
And then the mosh pit to consume all mosh pits erupted. These people are fucking crazy, and apparently this is the IDLES fan base worldwide. Combination rugby scrum, Newark riots, and WWF Steel Cage Death Match with hundreds, if not thousands, of IDLES-incited moshers wheeling around, belting the crap out of each other. Times ten. Or maybe a hundred. Never seen anything like it. Guys. Girls. Others. What. The. Hell.
Despite the Ultra-Violence, the IDLES set was amazing. They pounded out every song, and sounded great. And they became One with the crowd. Literally. One guitar player after another dove into the crowd, surfing and walking amongst them. And playing guitar. The whole performance was exhilarating, and death-defying. Wow. Here are a couple of clips I managed to film while avoiding being killed.
After counting my body parts and stanching any major blood flows, I grabbed a couple of fish tacos and a margarita as I tried to regain my wits and made it over to the Surf Stage and Cage The Elephant.
Honestly, it was hard to pay attention to Cage The Elephant after the IDLES experience. They played a good set of their best-known material, songs like Come A Little Closer, Cigarette Daydreams, Ain’t No Rest For The Wicked, Trouble, and Cold Cold Cold. They sounded great, but sounded so over-produced compared to the IDLES experience. Sorry, but IDLES was a tough act to follow, even on the big stage at the beach.
I flashed my VIP credentials (because I’m So Very Important), which granted me the superpowers to get from the Surf Stage down to the Sand Stage at the whole other end of the beach faster than Saquon Barkley could do it. And it’s a good thing, because I really wanted to see Courtney Barnett.
I’m not sure what it is about Courtney Barnett, but I love her. She has this lazy, twangy sound like she doesn’t give a shit about anything, but she clearly does. Her songs grab you — she’s the one who notices everything mundane, and makes it special. Her songs Rae Street and Avant Gardner are probably her best known, and she led off with these. Her whole set was relaxed, personal, and wonderful. I couldn’t a get enough of her. Here’s a few clips.
My superhero VIP creds got me whisked back to the Surf Stage, closer than most to Green Day.
I was a Green Day fan probably 30 years ago, and bought a bunch of their albums and cd’s over the years, but I’d never seen them live. This was gonna be a treat.
I didn’t realize how much a a treat it was going to be. Billy Joe Armstrong and his crew were amazing. They played hit after hit for nearly two hours, and they have plenty in their catalog to choose from. They played over 20 of their best songs, leading off with American Idiot and Holiday, and including a slew of Green Day’s best — Know Your Enemy, Boulevard of Broken Dreams, Longview, Welcome to Paradise. And on and on. They wrapped up with Wake Me Up When September Ends, Jesus in Suburbia, and Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life), but not before adding some covers of KISS, Isley Brothers, and Operation Ivy. And they threw in some riffs from Black Sabbath and Guns’n’Roses for good measure.
Billy Joe Armstrong is quite the entertainer. He goads the audience into waving their arms, flashing their lights, and engage in screaming matches against the other half of the crowd. He teases competition between the good people of New Jersey, New York, and (gasp!) Philadelphia. He’s goofy, parading around the stage, laying down, rolling his eyes. But he’s also a great guitarist, and vocalist, and songwriter. Hat’s off to this nut.
At one point in the program, Billy Joe stared down a couple near the stage and demanded “Give me your baby!”, which I thought was the best line of the night.
Then, midway through a song, he asked if anyone in the audience played guitar. Luke, a young lad of about 10 years, raised his hand and jumped onstage. Billy Joe asked him if he knew three chords, and showed him which ones to play. And Luke did. He banged out those three chords for the rest of the song, and Billy Joe let him keep the bandy-new, pure white electric guitar for his efforts. So cool.
As Billie Joe would sing in his finale, “I hope you had the time of your life”.
Here’s a few short videos from Green Day’s set.
I’ll be there next year, too. Guaranteed.