Review: Sea.Hear.Now 2025 Captures the Spirit of Asbury Park

Sea.Hear.Now returned to its familiar stretch of sand and boardwalk for another two-day mashup of surf culture, art, and live music. What used to feel like a boutique seaside gathering has, over seven editions, become a serious late-summer destination festival — one that balances big-name nostalgia with surprising, emotionally urgent sets from newer acts.

Photo by Keira Lindgren

This edition felt bigger and more polished than the early editions that leaned on local charm. Compared with the Springsteen headliner-heavy 2024 spectacle, 2025 balanced nostalgia-anchored bookings with contemporary artists in a way that made both days feel distinct — Saturday more soul/indie, Sunday more punk/throwback. It’s matured from a regional must-see into a reliable Sunday-by-the-sea festival that can compete with larger national events without losing its own identity.

SHN leans heavily on local NJ flavors: excellent pizza, standout tacos, and some surprisingly thoughtful vegan options. The vendor footprint felt curated (not just national chains), and there were a number of art vendors and installations worth wandering through between sets. The festival’s “Beyond the Music” programming (panels, smaller art displays) added texture without feeling like simple filler.

Highlights:

LCD Soundsystem brought their danceable, emotional catharsis and benefited from great lighting and tight sound. James Murphy and crew delivered a set that felt both meticulously crafted and rawly spontaneous, with each track building into a communal catharsis. The band’s tight, percussive grooves and shimmering synth layers translated perfectly live, and Murphy’s self-aware banter gave the night a loose, intimate feel.

LCD Soundsystem, by Keira Lindgren

Sublime, De La Soul, and Public Enemy each added flavor and nostalgia — important for the festival’s broad, multi-generation booking strategy.

Public Enemy, by Keira Lindgren

Public Enemy’s set was a thunderous reminder of why they’re hip-hop icons. Chuck D’s commanding delivery and Flavor Flav’s chaotic energy created a perfect balance of precision and spectacle.

Alabama Shakes’ set felt like both a reunion and a rebirth, blending the band’s soulful Southern rock roots with a renewed confidence. The band’s chemistry was seamless, the production lush but intimate, and the crowd connection was electric.

Asbury Park-based alt rockers Surfing for Daisy delivered a great opening set on the Park stage. The band’s rich harmonies and sweeping instrumentation pulled the audience in. Nick Francis leads with an honest voice, emotionally raw though still polished, backed by tight support from his bandmates.

Sound varied by stage. The Park Stage tended to have the cleanest mixes and best balance (good monitoring and less beach wind interference). The beach stages sounded huge if you stood in the prime zones but could get muddy off-axis, which is often the tradeoff of an outdoor marina/shore festival.

Sea.Hear.Now 2025 succeeded because it knows what it is: a festival that celebrates music, surf culture, and the visual arts in a uniquely Jersey Shore setting. Local residents remain a crucial stakeholder for the festival — the late-night local shows help keep the event tied to Asbury Park, and that relationship matters.The programming was adventurous enough to surprise, comforting enough to satisfy, and executed with high production values. If you love live music with a salty breeze and a crowd that crosses generations, this one’s worth budgeting for next year.

Cover photo by Ismael Quintanilla III

Photos by Keira Lindgren