Sea Hear Now, Asbury Park’s annual beach bash, is returning this September with a lineup that’s sure to rock the Jersey Shore.
The Foo Fighters and the Killers are headlining the fifth annual festival, which takes place from September 16–17. The lineup includes, but is not limited to, Greta Van Fleet, Weezer, Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, Mt. Joy, Sheryl Crow and the Beach Boys.
The Foo Fighters recently announced their first shows since the death of long-time drummer Taylor Hawkins in March 2022. It’s not yet clear who the band’s new drummer will be.
Sea Hear Now, which debuted in 2018, brings major musicians to Asbury Park every year. The festival features three stages at North Beach Asbury Park and Bradley Park, as well as a professional surfing competition. The 2023 surfing lineup includes Cam Richards and Sam Hammer, among others.
Sea Hear Now also celebrates art and ocean sustainability and serves up tons of New Jersey dining options. Danny Clinch’s Transparent Gallery, which features creations from the festival’s musicians and hosts smaller, intimate performances, highlights much of the weekend’s art.
Clinch is a well-known music photographer and film director from Toms River. He is one of the festival’s co-founders.
“It’s the last great party of the summer, but it’s also for people who live at the Jersey Shore,” Tim Donnelly, another co-founder, told New Jersey Monthly last year. “Asbury Park has been built on a good time. So to be able to provide that platform for people and do it in a distinctly New Jersey way—it’s a great actualization of 21st-century New Jersey, especially the Jersey Shore.”
The very first Sea Hear Now festival featured headliners Jack Johnson and Incubus in 2018. New Jersey’s own Bruce Springsteen also surprised alongside Social Distortion. Sea Hear Now’s second act was led by Dave Matthews Band and The Lumineers. Pearl Jam and Smashing Pumpkins then headlined the sandy show in 2021 after the Covid-19 pandemic canceled the event in 2020.
Stevie Nicks and Green Day led the pack in 2022.
Notable non-headliners who have performed at Sea Hear Now include Blondie, Ben Harper, Brandi Carlile, The Front Bottoms, Joan Jett & the Blackhearts, The B-52’s, Rainbow Kitten Surprise, Dropkick Murphys, Dispatch, Billy Idol, Patti Smith, The Avett Brothers, Lord Huron, Dirty Heads, My Morning Jacket, Cage The Elephant, Billy Strings, Gary Clark Jr., The Head and the Heart, Michael Franti and Spearhead, and Shakey Graves.
The festival also always makes space for local bands, who get a chance to play for bigger crowds and on the same stages as some of music’s biggest stars.
For those interested in tickets, presale begins Thursday, February 9, at 10 am for one-day and two-day general admission, GA+, VIP, platinum and ultimate experience tickets. Those interested can sign up for the presale code here.
A public sale will follow with any remaining tickets.