Words by Audra Tracy | Photos by Rod Snyder
It’s ‘local summer’, and that means the Sea Hear Now Festival has returned to Asbury Park, New Jersey for another magical weekend of music, art, surfing, food, and drink. Hosted on the beach along Ocean Avenue, the annual event truly lets you choose your own adventure.
Day 1 featured performances by Noah Kahan, The Black Crowes, The Hives, Grace Potter, Peaches, and many more, but there was so much ‘beyond the music’ to explore at this seaside wonderland. In addition to catching the stacked line-up of artists, fans could watch surfing competitions on the shoreline, or practice yoga on the beach, or simply wander around the Transparent Gallery pop-up tent to appreciate artwork submitted by many bands on this year’s festival bill.
Here are the highlights from Day 1 of Sea Hear Now 2024…
Passafire
One of the first sets of the day came via Passafire, a four-piece rock reggae outfit that complemented the Surf Stage quite nicely on Saturday afternoon. With sunny skies above, fans dug their toes in the sand while grooving to a set full of rock steady vibes. Performing songs from their 8th studio LP, Remember a Time, Passafire got early attendees all warmed up for Saturday’s music marathon…
Robert Randolph Band
‘I’m happy to be home”, Robert Randolph proclaimed before his faithful congregation at the Park Stage on Saturday afternoon. The Grammy-nominated pedal steel superstar (and New Jersey native) brought his brand of gospel, soul, and blues to Sea Hear Now, armed with a big smile and some serious swagger. Fans were treated to fiery originals like ‘I Need More Love’ and ‘Ain’t Nothing Wrong With That’, as well as choice covers by some other guitar heroes: Jimi Hendrix (‘Foxey Lady’) and Eric Clapton (Blind Faith’s ‘Can’t Find My Way Home’).
Grace Potter
Meanwhile, at the Transparent Gallery pop-up tent in Bradley Park, Grace Potter and her band were brewing up a secret set. Inside, a lucky group of fans enjoyed an intimate performance that beautifully showcased Potter’s powerhouse vocals, like on the tune ‘Paris’. ‘Medicine’ got a little help from iconic photographer / Sea Hear Now curator, Danny Clinch on harmonica, before Potter closed out the set with the title track from her latest album, Mother Road.
The Revivalists
In 2015, an eight-piece band from New Orleans called The Revivalists had a little gig at the Wonder Bar in Asbury Park. Last year, they played the Stone Pony Summerstage with folk darlings The Head and the Heart. On Saturday, the roots rockers crossed Ocean Avenue for their biggest show at the Jersey shore yet: the Surf Stage at Sea Hear Now. Led by golden-voiced frontman David Shaw, The Revivalists charmed New Jersey once again with soulful tracks like ‘Kid’, ‘Good Old Days’, and ‘All My Friends’. The band rounded out their seaside sing-along with their most popular radio hit, ‘Wish I Knew You’, with special guest Robert Randolph adding some magic to the mix.
The Hives
“It’s a hot day…”, Hives frontman Howlin’ Pelle Almqvist noted from the Park Stage on Saturday evening. “Good thing The Hives are so fucking cool.”
The Swedish garage rockers are currently on tour plugging their latest release, The Death of Randy Fitzsimmons, and their blistering set was an absolute highlight of Day 1. From the jump, The Hives quickly owned the crowd, bombarding fans with high-energy songs like ‘Bogus Operandi’, ‘Rigor Mortis Radio’, and ‘Walk Idiot Walk’. A charismatic band leader who always understands the assignment, Almqvist spent a good portion of the set in the thick of the crowd, and could be found scaling the Park Stage scaffolding during the massively catchy tune, ‘Hate To Say I Told You So’.
The Black Crowes
Next, back at the Surf Stage, brothers Chris and Rich Robinson were giving ‘greatest hits’ from start to finish. Songs from the classic 1990 album Shake Your Money Maker filled the set, including ‘Twice as Hard’, ‘She Talks to Angels’, and the crowd favorite, ‘Hard to Handle’. Showing their sheer versatility as a band, the set seamlessly transitioned from a deep cut (‘Sometimes Salvation’) to new material (‘Wanting and Waiting’ off Happiness Bastards), to a surprise cover of The Velvet Underground’s ‘White Light/White Heat’. In just over an hour, The Black Crowes proved they are still one of the best American rock n’ roll bands around.
Peaches
‘Do you think you’re nasty, Sea Hear Now?”
If you caught Peaches’ set at the Sand Stage on Saturday night, you’ll agree that the captivating performance is definitely burned into your psyche forever. The ‘electro-clash’ artist held nothing back, stripping off layers of her clothes while writhing along to salacious songs like ‘Flip This’ and ‘I U She’. If you missed it, imagine your weird friend from art class howling bold feminist mantras to an EDM beat, all while her panties dangle around her ankles. From multiple wardrobe changes to (almost) baring it all, Peaches (aka Merrill Nisker) was ‘fabulously filthy’, and mostly importantly, unforgettable.
Noah Kahan
Gen Z flocked to the Surf Stage like moths to a flame on Saturday night, because TikTok star Noah Kahan was headlining his first ever festival in New Jersey. It seems like every generation has their own ‘sad guy with a guitar’, and this New England native is currently enjoying peak popularity via his somber songbook. ‘We’ve got some depressing music to play you”, Kahan announced as he and his band dug into an inspiring set that featured ‘Dial Drunk’, ‘You’re Gonna Go Far’, and ‘Homesick’.
While the lyrics might make one weep, the crowd was full of happy faces soaking up all the folk stylings that any fan of The Lumineers or Mumford & Sons would appreciate. Kahan & Co. closed the night with the tune ‘Stick Season’ (which boasts over a billion streams), marking a place in history for yet another successful Day 1 of Sea Hear Now….
Check out our coverage of Day 2!
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9.16.24
