Sea Hear Now, Bamboozle music festivals both faced heat from fans. Did they deserve it?

This has been a trying year for two homegrown music festivals.

Both the Bamboozle Festival, which was scheduled for May in Atlantic City, and the recent Sea Hear Now music, art and surfing festival, Sept. 16 and 17 on the beach in Asbury Park, hit rough patches with fans.

Bamboozle’s rough patch was so rough the fest was canceled. Like Sea Hear Now, the Bamboozle was founded in Asbury Park. Jersey music promoter John D’Esposito staged the first one in 2003 next to the Stone Pony, and it grew from there.

Pop-punk, hip-hop, rock and pop A-listers like Drake, Fall Out Boy, Snoop Dogg, 50 Cent, My Chemical Romance, Jonas Brothers, Bruno Mars, Demi Lovato, Bon Jovi and more performed on Bamboozle stages in Asbury Park and the Meadowlands during its 10-year run.

D’Esposito attempted to stage a 20th anniversary edition this year, but a vocal group of fans took to social media to decry the lack of pop-punk acts in the bill, which included Limp Bizkit, Trippie Redd, Papa Roach, Yung Gravy, A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, and Rick Ross.

“I’m honestly super disappointed and I’m not sure Fall Out Boy or the Jonas Brothers would change my mind on that,” commented a fan in December on the lineup.

The vitriol grew from there, with some fans directly targeting their comments at D’Esposito, who pushed back. On Instagram, a “Scamboozle” account, which mimics the Bamboozle account but added criticisms of festival promotions, was created.

The fest was canceled a week before the May 5 to 7 dates due to “slow ticket sale and hurdles.” The complaining on social media didn’t help.

Sea Hear Now fest began in 2018 by locals Danny Clinch, a renowned rock photographer, and Tim Donnelly with C3 Presents, the group that stages Lollapalooza. Sea Hear Now, which occupies the same footprint of the final Bamboozle on the North Beach in Asbury Park, is unique in its vibe, display and audience engagement — from the big name bands to local acts to quiet corners where artwork is on display.

Clinch is especially engaged, appearing on stage, and mingling in the crowd, snapping pics over the weekend.

The Killers and the Foo Fighters headlined this year’s Sea Hear Now on Sept. 16 and 17. Some fans groused about the crowd size which was the same (35,000) as last year, according to the festival.

More: Foo Fighters rock, but sound mars Weezer set at Sea Hear Now in Asbury Park

The grousing became louder when the sound became wavy during the Beach Boys’ set Sept. 17 on the Surf Stage. The situation worsened during Weezer’s set, when thousands couldn’t hear a peep beyond a slight muffle from the stage.

“Turn it up!” chanted the audience.

It’s not clear if there was a malfunction, the sound rigging was inadequate for the size of the crowd, or if atmospheric conditions cause the sound to drop.

“The wind keeps shifting and causing problems,” stated the fest on its social media as part of an in-line response.

Some fans weren’t having it.

“Never again,” stated one fan on social media.

“There’s no second screen halfway back on the beach so if you’re stuck back at the end of the beach you can’t see anything,” stated another. “The sound is terrible back there … like wow you guys just ripped everyone off … absolute joke.”

What could help moving forward? A statement from the festival on the Day 2 sound problem would allay fans’ fears of it happening again.

Also, clarity on the attendance would be good. Brandon Flowers from the Killers said there were 40,000 at the fest and Dave Grohl said there were 50,000. Maybe the blanket people on the beach near the stage made it seem more crowded?

Jersey fans are tough, passionate and loud. When they like something, you know it, and when they don’t, you know that, too. This builds character and encourages excellence. A performer does not want to screw up in front of a Jersey audience.

In some moments, Jersey fans can act boorish and entitled.

The fans who are stating “never again” about the Bamboozle and Sea Hear Now are overly spiteful, and not appreciative of the uniqueness of these two homegrown Jersey festivals. It seems like they’d be happy with a cookie-cutter music fest from a national concert promoter.

Instead, let’s give the Bamboozle and Sea Hear Now the benefit of the doubt — they’ve earned it.

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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: Sea Hear Now, Bamboozle: Fans complain about NJ festivals