Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band to headline 2024 Sea Hear Now in Asbury Park
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band are hitting the beach.
Springsteen and E Street will headline the Sunday, Sept. 15, Sea Hear Now show on the North Beach in Asbury Park. Noah Kahan headlines the Saturday, Sept. 14, show.
Gaslight Anthem, Trey Anastasio Band, The Black Crowes, Norah Jones, 311, The Revivalists, Kool & The Gang, The Hives and more will play over the two days. Up-and-coming local talent at the fest this year includes Joe P and Sonic Blume on Sept. 14; Sunshine Spazz, and Rachel Ana Dobken on Sept. 15.
One-day and two-day ticket presale begins at 10 a.m. Thursday, March 7. Tickets start at $160 for single day general admission and offerings include two-day general admission, GA+, VIP, platinum and ultimate experience tickets. Fans can sign up now for a presale passcode via the festival website.
Festival co-founder Danny Clinch, a Toms River native, has shot multiple Springsteen albums, starting with 2002’s “The Rising,” and most recently 2020's “Letter to You.”
Springsteen and the E Street Band are closely associated with Asbury Park. Band members have played the city hundreds of times. But performances together in the city have been infrequent, and Springsteen and the E Street Band ticketed shows are even rarer over the last 50 years.
The last time Springsteen and the E Street Band played together in the city was on Dec. 7, 2010, at the Carousel House on the south end of the boardwalk. The performance, for invited fans and friends, was filmed by Thom Zimny for the “Songs from the Promise” video and recorded for the “Live from the Carousel” EP.
In December 2009, Springsteen and the E Street Band performed their 1978 classic “Darkness on the Edge of Town” at the Paramount Theatre, part of the Convention Hall complex on the boardwalk. Zimny filmed the band in the empty theater, and it was released as “Darkness on the Edge of Town: Paramount Theatre, Asbury Park,” part of the “Darkness” 40th anniversary box set.
In March 1999, Springsteen and the E Street Band kicked off their long-awaited Reunion Tour with two sold-out rehearsal shows at Convention Hall. Tickets cost $20 a pop.
The next 10 years saw rehearsal shows, both public and private, and spirited holiday shows with E Street Band members at Convention Hall, the Paramount Theatre, and the former Harry's Roadhouse in the city.
These days, Springsteen is a frequent visitor to the city, but the last time he played here was at the 2020 Light of Day festival, a fundraiser in the fight against Parkinson's disease. The Boss took the stage with Joe Grushecky and the Houserockers, Jesse Malin and Willie Nile for 13 songs at the Paramount Theatre.
The last E Street Band member to play the city was Jake Clemons, who played the Stone Pony on Oct. 21, 2023. Clinch joined him on stage.
Springsteen and the E Street Band begin a world tour Tuesday, March 19, at the Footprint Center in Phoenix. Previously announced area shows include Aug. 21 and 22 at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia.
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Springsteen and the E Street Band played MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford late last summer, on Aug. 30, Sept. 1 and 3. The shows were the last for the band before Springsteen took a break from touring to treat his peptic ulcer disease.
Clinch’s photographs have appeared in Rolling Stone, Spin, Vanity Fair, Esquire, GQ and the New York Times Magazine. His ad campaigns include John Varvatos and American Express. He’s been nominated three times by the Grammys for his musical films, and he’s shot the covers of Nas’ “Illmatic,” Johnny Cash’s “Solitary Man” and Kanye West’s “The College Dropout,” in addition to his Springsteen work.
His Transparent Clinch Gallery, adjacent to the Asbury Hotel on Kingsley Street, draws fans from all over, and noted musicians, too. Springsteen has visited, and had his picture taken in 2022 with Clinch in front of a Springsteen portrait taken by Clinch during the 2007 “Magic” photo shoot on the city's boardwalk.
The Foo Fighters, the Killers, Weezer, the Beach Boys, Sheryl Crow, Living Colour and more played the festival over two days last September.
The festival, founded in 2018, is produced by C3 Presents, the team behind Lollapalooza, and locals Clinch and Tim Donnelly.
Incubus and Jack Johnson were the headliners of the inaugural fest in 2018, and Springsteen was an unannounced performer. He played several songs with Social Distortion. The capacity of 20,000 was expanded to 35,000 per day starting with the 2022 festival.
Visual art is a big component of the fest with Stoke Henge, located in the sand just off the boardwalk, featuring the works of city artist Pork Chop. A pop-up Transparent Clinch Gallery, located in Bradley Park, features artwork from the performers and performances, too.
The North Beach Rumble surfing contest, featuring pro local and national surfers, and musicians, too, takes place while the music is playing. This year's surfers include Balaram Stack, Cam Richards, Sam Hammer, Cassidy McClain, Rob Kelly, Pat Schmidt, Mike Gleason, Tom Ihnken, Jamie DeWitt, Logan Kamen, Cole Deveney and Audrey Iglay.
Sea Hear Now previous headliners
2018: Incubus and Jack Johnson
2019: Dave Matthews Band and The Lumineers
2021: Pearl Jam and Smashing Pumpkins
2022: Stevie Nicks and Green Day
2023: Foo Fighters and the Killers.
Visit seahearnowfestival.com for more information.
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Chris Jordan, a Jersey Shore native, covers entertainment and features for the USA Today Network New Jersey. Contact him at @chrisfhjordan; [email protected]
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band headline Sea Hear Now 2024