Live music, surfing, and 35,000 people are the three staples of the Sea Hear Now Music and Art Festival. Since 2018, Sea Hear Now has brought together big time musicians and surfers in a two day event at the Jersey Shore. While bands play throughout the day, a surf competition with various east coast surfers takes place. This year, headliners included The Killers and Foo Fighters. Other musicians, such as Greta Van Fleet, Mt. Joy, Weezer, Sheryl Crow and several more also performed. Surfers who competed included, Cam Richards, Sam Hammer, Mia Gallagher and many more.

As someone who was at the festival for both days, I had a great time. Three stages throughout the beach and boardwalk allowed me to see multiple artists per day, all who were outstanding. My personal favorites included Mt. Joy, Greta Van Fleet, Joey Valence & Brae and Foo Fighters. Not only was their music enjoyable, but these artists had a great stage presence. Specifically, Foo Fighters lead singer Dave Grohl was great to watch. Not only is his talent impressive, but he is interactive with the crowd and makes a two hour show feel like twenty minutes. 

Never having been to a music festival before, Sea Hear Now was definitely an experience I will remember forever. Being able to experience different types of music and a variety of artists in a non-conventional environment was awesome. There are no words that can describe live music and being surrounded by like-minded, music loving people. 

While the festival ran relatively smoothly, there still were some flaws. For starters, 35,000 people crammed into one area is quite frankly, annoying. Trying to make your way up closer to the stage was a nuisance, especially when hundreds of people are trying to do the same. As well, serious sound issues occurred during the Beach Boys and Weezer sets on the second day. The secondary speakers were not playing at their full capability. People not wanting to risk getting lost in the swarm of fans closer to the stage lost out and could not hear any music. I, being one of them, was disappointed that I couldn't hear at the largest stage, ironically, with the most speakers. The problem was thankfully fixed before Foo FIghters hit the stage. 

Even with these issues, my time at Sea Hear now was very enjoyable. I would definitely recommend this festival to anyone who enjoys live music, no matter what genre. I cannot wait to see who performs in the future and hopefully will go next year.