Sea Hear Now lineup brings fun, great music to Asbury Park
The first order of business at the Sea Hear Now music, art and surfing festival this weekend in Asbury Park?
“Take your shoes off,” said Angus Dowling of the New South Wales group Babe Rainbow.
The groovy psychedelic rock group performed early Saturday, Sept. 16 in Bradley Park, across the street from the ocean, but they had their eyes on the water.
“You guys check out the surf,” Dowling said. “The surf is really pumping.”
The active waves from Hurricane Lee did not deter the surfers participating in the festival’s surfing competition, but as was the case in previous fests, fans were not allowed in the water.
“I’m from Houston so we’ve had hurricanes but I never experienced a hurricane on a beach,“ said Abigail Shelby of Houston , who was watching Babe Rainbow with Emma Knight, 21 of Ocean Township.
Except for the surf, and a few wind gusts, Lee did not affect the fest on Saturday.
The Sea Hear Now takes place on two stages on the North Beach of Asbury Park, and on the stage in Bradley Park. Shop and eateries in the Grand Arcade of Convention Hall are also part of the fest.
The crew at the Fun House souvenir shop on the hall were ready on Saturday.
“We sale a lot of the essentials. The owners are really good at knowing what the customers are going to want,“ said manager Trish Banfitch. “We have the sun screen, the Benadryl, the lip balm, the deodorant , all the things you need. And when the sun goes down we have the sweatshirts.”
Banfitch will be able to check out the festival music when the shop closes.
“I absolutely love the Killers," Banfitch said. “They have so many great hits and I love them so much.”
Large crowds for Sea Hear Now
More than 35,000 are expected to attend the Sea Hear Now Saturday, Sept. 16, and Sunday, Sept. 17, on the North Beach and Bradley Park in Asbury Park to see performances by the Foo Fighters, the Killers, Weezer, the Beach Boys, Sheryl Crow, Living Colour and more.
The festival is produced by C3 Presents, the team behind Lollapalooza, and locals Danny Clinch and Tim Donnelly. Clinch is a Toms River native who has photographed the greats of music, from Bruce Springsteen to Tupac Shakur.
Visual art is a big component of the fest with Stoke Henge, located in the sand just off the boardwalk, featuring the works of city artist Pork Chop. On Friday, the Asbury Park arts collective known as the Wooden Walls project held a festival-related show at the Carousel House on the south end of the boardwalk.
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John and Camille Mustachio, both 48 of Richmond, VA., were taking in the exhibit on their third trip to the Sea Hear Now.
"I really enjoy the art and community focus feel," John said. "Music has a magical quality to bring people together and have have empathy for others. Having a festival that allows for that to happen through music, through the artwork as well as the music, kind of gives an aura of magic that you don't really experience without being at a festival like this."
The centerpiece of the Carousel House exhibit were full-headed multi-color paper construction masks rendered by Wooden Walls students under the tutelage visiting artist Dennis McNett of Virginia, said Wooden Walls head Jen Hampton.
The students are scheduled to don the masks Saturday and march on Ocean Avneue inside the festival grounds. The Wooden Walls exhibit will be on display noon through 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at the Carousel House.
As for the music, the Killers headline Saturday's lineup and the Foo Fighters will close out the fest on Sunday night.
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Chris Jordan, a Jersey Shore native, covers entertainment and features for the USA Today Network New Jersey. Contact him at @chrisfhjordan; cjordan@app.com
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Sea Hear Now festival features Foo Fighters, other great acts
