ASBURY PARK, NJ- Asbury Park NJ in 1988 was a one mile long no-man’s land on the beach, reeling from past racial divide as well as a summer time population drawn away by Atlantic City, it was a town in trouble. During this time there was an undercurrent that flowed that still remains today, the music scene. Fueled by great past and present musicians, as well as legendary music venues Asbury Park clawed and climbed from a dark place to become a National music and arts destination.
Fast forward thirty years, Asbury Park is a city on the move with a revitalized business district including bars, pubs, restaurants and a booming real-estate market complimenting its growth. If you ask some, you’ll hear that the growth and change is to rapid, stripping the town of its identity and culture, some feel the opposite. While Asbury Park is no doubt a changing town, some things stay the same, and that thing is music!
September 29, and 30, 2018 – Over 20,000 music fans converged on Asbury Park NJ for the inaugural Sea. Hear. Now. Music Festival. Celebrating surf, music and art culture, the festival is curated by legendary music photographer / videographer Danny Clinch and partner Tim Donnelly, and managed by C3 presents. Clinch, a Toms River NJ native maintains his personal Art Gallery (Clinch Transparent) in Asbury Park and has been an integral part of the local music scene for years. Having worked with some of the biggest names in the music industry, including Bruce Springsteen, Green Day, The Foo Fighters and Pearl Jam to name just a few, set a high bar for this Festival.
The Festival grounds positioned on the north end of town included three stages, two on the beach and one in the park in front of the convention center, as well as local (and non) food and drink options. In addition, the festival also included yoga, pro surfing, surfboard shaping and a satellite of Danny Clinches gallery hosting artwork and a killer line-up that included the likes of Jack Johnson, Social Distortion, Brandi Carlile and Incubus, among others.
The inaugural Sea.Hear.Now. 2018 Festival was a monumental event for New Jersey and most of all Asbury Park, and I would like to congratulate C3 Presents for managing the most professionally run event I’ve attended. All event representatives were totally professional and just plain nice people who made the long days an absolute pleasure. I would also like to give a shout out to all the first responders who looked out for us while we had a nice time, including all local, County and State Police, Sheriffs and EMS personnel.
Asbury Park New Jersey has sure come a long way, and the significance and success of Sea.Hear.Now clearly cements what we all know, and that is that music truly has saved Asbury Park.
Be sure to click through the individual day links to see all of the of the acts that we were able to catch this year at Sea.Hear.Now!
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