Concert lovers at Communications High School (CHS) will have plenty of chances to see their favorite artists at live music events all around the Northeast this fall. With upcoming festivals like Sea Hear Now and All Things Go, there is no shortage of excitement in the air.
Since 2018, Asbury Park has held the annual Sea Hear Now festival, featuring not only popular music artists, but also art displays and surfing competitions. Monmouth County residents wait in anticipation each year for the lineup of the local festival.
This year’s event takes place on September 14th and 15th with headliners Noah Kahan and Bruce Springsteen, a fan favorite and New Jersey native. Beyond these big names, however, concertgoers like junior Jenna Lynch of Neptune seem to be pretty disappointed.
“For me, I love the fact that Noah Kahan is headlining and that’s enough to get me to go to Sea Hear now,” Lynch said. “But I also understand why a lot of people are disappointed because there’s not many other super popular artists performing this year.”
Senior Evelyn Seetoo of Freehold agrees that Sea Hear Now could have done a better job appeasing to a wider audience by bringing in more artists that cater to the music tastes of younger generations.
“I feel like last year’s lineup definitely did a better job at catering to a wider demographic of age groups,” Seetoo said. “This year’s feels a bit old and stuffy, so I will not be going.”
Although many CHS students are disappointed with the Sea Hear Now lineup, they can still look forward to All Things Go, a Maryland-based music festival first hosted in 2014. This year they also announced an alternative location at Forest Hills in New York City with a similar lineup.
Focusing more on indie musicians, the festival running on September 28th and 29th has plenty of well-known artists performing this year, such as Laufey, Bleachers and Renee Rapp.
“I’ve been going to All Things Go for a few years now and I’m always impressed by their lineups,” Seetoo said. “They focus more heavily on booking female acts, and while their artists are catered more to Gen Z, I would still say they offer more for everyone than Sea Hear Now.”
Lynch agrees that the lineup of All Things Go seems to have a wider range of artists to go see on stage.
“I was lucky enough to grab tickets to both Sea Hear Now and All Things Go,” Lynch said. “As soon as I saw the lineup for All Things Go, I was super impressed by the fact I could see artists like Hozier and Chappell Roan all at one festival, so I knew I had to try to get tickets.”
Even if the Sea Hear Now lineup isn’t everything they dreamed of, many students cannot wait for the opportunity to see artists they know and love, such as junior Dylan Glusman of Middletown.
“I just cannot wait to see Noah Kahan,” Glusman said. “Having the chance to see him so close to home is super exciting.”
