Earlier this summer I got tickets for the Asbury music festival, Sea.Hear.Now. It seems that putting.periods.between.words.is a thing now, so I figured the music would be good. Mary contacted her college roommate from Brielle to see if she was interested.boom.yes. Her and boyfriend are in.
Oh hey, we're here.
I have to admit leading up to this wknd. I was having 2nd thoughts about going, not that I would bail, but this meant missing Bikefest, which is like SHN without music, ocean and 19,700 less people. As I sit here, in a bit of a fog , processing everything that happened this wknd, I'd say the SHN was the right choice. I'm not gonna say some bs like life changing experience but damn I'd say that's the best Musicfest I've been to since OG Lollapalooza in 1991.
This set up was perfect, 2 stages at opposite ends of each other in the beach, the band plays for an hour on one stage and when their done another band starts their set at the opposite end, also there is another stage around the corner, so it's like 3 love holes...no waiting.
Come to think of it, Palooza 91 and SHN are such contrasts. Music has changed and so have I, jeez, that was 27 years ago. At Palooza the vibe was a bit angrier, we beat the shit out of each other in that most pit, do kids still do this?, this weekend SHN sponsored free yoga in the mornings, which was one big lovefest, physically and emotionally.
Also, I think they legalized weed for SHN, my clothes smell like i was sitting by a marijuana campfire, the shit people smoke now is so gd dank, compared to the 90's. They should make those Christmas tree air freshners in danky shit odor, when you get pulled over and the cop smells weed, you just point to the air freshener.
The first day the acts where ok, the English Beat was up beat, Blondie was tired, her band was awesome, Ben Harper is an awesome musician but can't relate to an audience and I bailed on Incubus, so I can't say much about them. I can say that I went broke eating and drinking, $11 beerz, $12 food, the food was decent and All Day IPA was a good choice. Although at one point they did run out of IPA and I found myself drinking Corona, man is that beer shit.
Sunday morning Mary and I drove back from Sandys house in Brielle to do yoga at 8:30. We where a bit tired but once we got moving we were fine. The instructor was really good, Eoin Finn from Blissology yoga, his name sounds like he's a hobbit but he was really motivational...even if he is a hobbit.
After yoga, Mary and I enjoyed the beautiful weather and strolled along the beach, then head back to the house, grab a little rest, then go back to fest with Sandy and Glenn.
Sunday is the better line up, G Love, Milky Chance, Social D, Jack Johnson. G Love is awesome, I saw him about 15 yrs ago at a small club, he lights up a stage with his personality, whether he's playing for 200 or 20,000. He's got this great white trash philly style, very entertaining. Milky Chance was energetic and worked the crowd hard, they seemed so stoked to be there. I missed Social D, we wanted to get a good spot for Jack Johnson who was playing immediately after Social D on the opposite stage, this meant we missed Bruce making a surprise appearance during Social D's set but I'm not a Bruce fan and even though Mary is, she was still happier to get up close to the stage for Jack Johnson.
So yeah, Jacks Johnson, awesome performer, he's not just a voice, he delivers a song and is relaxed talking to 20,000 people, which not many performers are, only the great ones. He brought out a bunch of musicians who played earlier, which mixed it up and added for spontaneous sets that where inspiring and had great energy for performers and crowd.
Like all good things, they must come to an end. Leaving Asbury Park at 10:30pm on Sunday night seems easy enough, but when 20,000 people want to leave at once, things get complicated and travel becomes a premium. Mary and I walked about a mile away in hopes of getting an Uber ride back to Brielle to Sandys house. They left earlier, Glenn didn't want to go into work in a coma Monday morning, where as me and Mary said fuck it, they won't fire me. I finally got an Uber ride but got raped for a 15 minute car ride. While in the car heading back, I saw a Wall cop had a middle aged woman on the side of the road doing a sobriety test, seeing this made me feel a little better in paying $100 for a ride home.