Sea Hear Now 2024 in Asbury Park on September 13 and 14th, 2024, started with a lot of fuss and commotion. For the first time, tickets went on sale after the lineup was announced. With Bruce Springsteen on the lineup, tickets sold out in seconds, and many long-time attendees were shut out in one of the worst ticket-buying experiences this reviewer has ever had. However, once the dust settled and people found tickets on the secondary market, the festival weekend arrived and went off without a hitch. C3 Presents holds the festival in conjunction with music photographer Danny Clinch.
Festival Highlights
Sierra Ferrell strode out to the Surf Stage looking like a wrapped present in a red dress, prominent headdress, and a glimmery taffeta scarf, which seems like the last thing this reviewer would choose to wear on a hot, sunny day at the beach. She and her four other band members (drums, bass, fiddle & guitar) had the daunting task of playing from 2:45 to 3:45 to a group of Noah Kahan and Black Crowes fans who probably had never heard of her and seemed more concerned with settling into their spots than discovering a new act. She played several songs from her new release, Trail of Flowers, which feels like a departure from her previous, more straight-ahead country albums. These songs illustrated the breadth of her range. “American Dreaming” has a folk ballad feel and showcases her voice’s sweeter side, which came through clearly over the PA. “Chitlins’ Cooking Time in Cheatham County” had a more significant swinging blues feel, and her voice gave the song a raunchier, murder ballad quality.
“I Could Drive You Crazy” felt like a familiar, old-timey bluegrass number so much that this reviewer had to check to ensure it wasn’t a country standard. As the set went on, the side conversations in the crowd began to dissipate, and more and more eyes and ears were trained on Ferrel. If one had to pinpoint the moment she won the crowd entirely over, it would be at about the 45-minute mark of her set when she delivered one of the best renditions of “Me and Bobby McGee” that this reviewer has seen. She’s off to Australia in a few days, so be sure to catch her when she returns.
Grace Potter has been touring since she was a teenager and seems to put on a great show every time she plays. Saturday at the Sand stage at 5:45 was the same. She made the most of her one-hour time slot, whirling around the stage and sharing her rock-star voice and musical chops with the crowd. She has a way of making the show feel intimate and big simultaneously. On Friday night, she played a full set at the Stone Pony and did a great job balancing songs from her newest release, Mother Road, with some of her fan favorites. With a shorter festival set on Saturday, she only squeezed in two Mother Road songs (“Ready Set Go” and “Good Time”) and, aside from Led Zeppelin’s “Whole Lotta Love,” played the rest from her ever-growing catalog of 10 albums, including great versions of “Ah Mary” and “Nothing But the Water.” She is a phenomenal performer with the whole package – voice, musicianship, energy, looks, and just enough humility to let you see her goofy side. That is refreshing in a rock star of her caliber. She has seven dates left on her tour before she boards the Cayamo Cruise for a week. If she comes your way, see her. She deserves to be headlining festivals like this one soon.
The Hives dominated the Park stage from the first note of their 5:45 set until the last at 6:45. They strode out in matching black and white lightning-influenced suits. Lead singer Pelle Almqvist had the crowd in the palm of his hand with his witty banter, stage antics, and insistence on audience participation. If you haven’t seen the Hives, they mix the bravado of a throwback punk band with a note of self-realized irony.
They sped through their songs, which rarely exceeded three minutes. The songs were stitched together with Almqvist’s humorous banter. He asked the crowd if they liked Bruce Springsteen in one of his bits. When they screamed yes, he asked if they wanted to hear a Bruce Springsteen song. When the crowd enthusiastically screamed yes, he paused for dramatic effect and said, “He’s playing tomorrow. This is a song by The Hives,” and launched into “Come On.” The band played all their hits, “Hate to Say I Told You So,” “Tick Tick Boom,” “Bogus Operandi,” and “Walk Idiot Walk.” They demanded and received enthusiastic audience participation and even inspired a mosh pit – which is rare for this festival. The five-piece band was locked in and played with passion and skill. They are playing through the Midwest and East Coast for the rest of the month, and although they might not change the world, you could have a lot of fun at a Hives show.
311 has been touring since the late 80s and, in that time, has released 13 albums and has, somehow, kept the core of their lineup intact. They played on the Park stage from 8-9 pm, filling it up with fans and their version of ska/rap-influenced heavy rock. Although the band is fronted by vocalists Nick Hexum and S.A. Martinez, who gives the users a lot to look at, the driving force behind the band is bassist Aaron “P-Nut” Wills. He seemed to drive the intensity from under his fairly generic hoodie effortlessly. They played a lot of their better-known songs, including “All Mixed Up,” “Down,” and “Creatures (For A While).” They even slipped in a cover of the Cure’s “Lovesong.” After almost 40 years, they proved they still have it.
Other notable performances were also turned in.
The Black Crowes played another consistent rock and roll performance. Their songs were solid, their energy was good, and the crowd was into it, but it didn’t stand out to this reviewer.
When Noah Kahan was announced as the festival’s co-headliner with Bruce Springsteen, everyone, including Kahan, was shocked. He played a 90-minute set on the Surf stage and had the crowd singing every word to every song. At one point, he talked about how thankful he was to be there and shared that he often doubts his popularity and constantly looks over his shoulder to see who the crowds are clapping for. However, many adoring teenage fans were in the audience, just as many moms and dads had found a connection with their children in Kahan’s music.
The Sand stage also hosted three younger bands that sounded pretty good. First-timers Bo Staloch, Ziggy Alberts, and Joe P made favorable impressions and may have earned slots in future festivals with their solid performances.
Sunday brought even better weather, with temperatures in the mid-70s and a beautiful onshore ocean breeze. Although there were the same number of bands on both days, Sunday was all about Bruce Springsteen – who would he sit in with? And what songs would he play in his three-hour set?
Sure, Asbury Park resident Rachel Ana Dobken showed her versatility on guitar and drums in her 30-minute set to open the Sand Stage, and Illiterate Light got the early crowd rocking out at the opening set on the Surf Stage. Also, Golgol Bordello threw a raucous party for diehard fans; Nora Jones sang beautifully during her hour slot; and Wilderado earned some new fans with their laid-back roots rock. Even Bertha: Grateful Drag put on a spectacle for many to enjoy. But the only story was about Bruce.
Bruce sat in for one song, “Kitty’s Back,” with the Trey Anastasio Band, much to the delight of the fans, Trey, and his bandmates. The performance was clean and well-rehearsed and featured Bruce and Trey trading guitar solos – both seemed to be having a lot of fun. After Bruce walked off the stage with a knowing, “See ya later,” Trey may have landed the line of the night when he shrugged and said, “I never thought I would have to follow Bruce Springsteen … on a beach … in Asbury Park! … But let’s have a good time”.
While Trey was finishing up his set, Bruce was carted off to the Park Stage where he played the first two upbeat songs with his New Jersey pals, The Gaslight Anthem – “History Books” (which they recorded with Springsteen) and “American Slang.” Just like the sit-in with Trey, Bruce and the band seemed to really enjoy the experience. And just like with the Trey sit-in, a little bit of air left the room when Bruce walked off the stage, and many fans who sprinted across the festival to catch a glimpse of Bruce on a smaller stage began to walk back to the main stage to take their places for the full Springsteen set.
At exactly 7:30, Bruce took the stage dressed formally in black pants, a white dress shirt, and a tucked-in black tie. He looked great for a 74-year-old musician in the middle of a tour, who had sat in with two bands earlier in the day and played a half-a-dozen songs the night before at the Stone Pony. A full 18-piece band backed him. The regulars were there – Little Steven (guitar), Nils Lofgren (guitar), Max Weinberg (drums), Garry Tallent (bass), Roy Bittan (keys), Soozie Tyrell (violin/guitar), Jake Clemons (sax), Charles Giordano (organ), and Anthony Almonte (percussion). He also had an entire horn section and four backup singers.
The energy in the crowd was incredible as people had been waiting desperately to cash in their winning lottery Sea Hear Now tickets. It felt like it was going to be a special performance, but there was still a nagging doubt that this could be another stop on his tour. From the first notes of “Lonesome Day,” it was clear that this was special for Bruce, too! He followed that song with three songs from his iconic 1973 album Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J., “Blinded By The Light” and “Does This Bus Stop at 82nd Street” (both of which hadn’t been played since 2017) and “Growing Up.” He ran through the crowd, shared the spotlight with his band family, told great stories, and thanked everyone for their part in reviving Asbury Park with a special shout-out to the LGBTQ+ community. He seemed so proud, overwhelmed, and moved, and he shared all those emotions with us throughout his three-hour and fifteen-minute performance. It was a mutual lovefest.
It is tempting to go through the entire 30-song performance, song-by-song, detailing every gesture, story, and solo. You’ll have to take this reviewer’s word that an incredibly special evening created a sense of community rarely experienced through rock concerts. Instead, I’ll try to convey the emotion from a few stories to illustrate the point. One of the more memorable moments was at about the one-hour mark. Bruce was joined by his wife and bandmate, Patti Scialfa, who hasn’t been touring with the band due to the effects of her blood cancer diagnosis. They shared one mic on the center of the stage and rendered an excellent duet rendition of “Tougher Than the Rest.” Scialfa looked vibrant, and you could feel the affection and tribulations the two partners shared.
He played a lot of New Jersey-centric songs. Before the 10th song, Springsteen told a story about walking into a five-and-dime store in Freehold and seeing three black velvet paintings on the wall – the one on the left of a Doberman pinscher, the one on the right of Bruce Lee and the one in the middle of him “with the denim and the headband and the muscles” then he launched into “Local Hero”. He also played “Atlantic City,” “4th of July, Asbury Park,” “Wrecking Ball,” “Meeting Across The River,” “Rosalita,” “10th Avenue Freeze-Out,” Jungleland,” and a few more that mentioned New Jersey. He wove in stories of old Asbury Park and beamed as he looked into the faces of the thousands of faces who were standing in the very city he helped rebuild.
The crowd knew we were witnessing something special, too. The festival-weary crowd stood there for over three hours in the cold sand. Almost no one dared leave to get a drink, use the bathroom, or beat the crowd home. As a testament to the dedication of the attendees, one of my neighbors in the crowd was an elderly gentleman who sat in the sand for most of the show, explaining, “I can’t stand for three hours.” Still, with exactly one hour to go, he rose to his feet like on those televangelist shows and spent the last hour standing and singing with the rest of us.
Just before the last encore, Bruce did a schtick with Little Steven, and they teased us by telling us that we looked tired and wanted to go home. After the crowd booed in disagreement, Bruce challenged us by saying, “You think you can outlast the E Street Band? No one can outlast the E Street Band. We have been doing this for fifty years – no one can outlast the E Street Band.” Then they launched into the final encores of the evening, “Twist and Shout,” and a beautiful version of Tom Waits’ “Jersey Girl,” which seemed like he was singing directly to all of us.
As the last note finished and the band took their final bow, it was evident that Bruce was right about almost everything: the promise of Asbury Park, how special it was to share that moment, and how important community is. However, he was wrong: We did outlast the E Street Band—we would have all stayed there for another hour or three. I don’t know if Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band will ever hold another concert on a beach in Asbury Park; it doesn’t seem likely. But I know for sure that if they do, I will be there, and I will be at Sea Hear Now in 2025.
One Response
Great reviews Jordan. We can always count on you. Saw Springsteen in Phila last month and was in awe of the power of the music. Hope to get to one of your house concerts or see you out.