2025 Sea Hear Now Festival – Day 2 – Asbury Park

Words by Audra Tracy | Photos by Rod Snyder

Day 2 of the 2025 Sea Hear Now Festival kept the momentum going with another stacked selection of music and art in Asbury Park. From the vibrant local artistry on the beach, to unique pieces at the Transparent Clinch Gallery (like Polaroids from Grace Bowers, or custom Sublime skateboard decks), fans were surrounded by many sights and sounds to consume.

Check out highlights from Day 2 of Sea Hear Now, with performances by Blink-182, Sublime, Public Enemy, TV On The Radio, Mannequin Pussy, Spoon, Grace Bowers, Neal Francis, Surfing For Daisy, and more…

Neal Francis

Early on Sunday afternoon, a time machine took festival attendees at the Surf Stage on a lovely nostalgic trip, with a delightful performance by Neal Francis. At the helm of his Hohner piano, the Chicago based singer/songwriter won the crowd over quickly with his band’s blend of rock n roll and ’70s-era dance music. It was another gorgeous day at the Jersey shore, and barefooted fans happily boogied in the sand to the groovy tunes of songs like ‘She’s a Winner’ and ‘Changes’. Check out Neal’s new album, Return to Zero!

Grace Bowers

Next, at the Park Stage, 19 year old guitar phenom Grace Bowers played her first ever show in New Jersey, and we think it went pretty well. Backed by her band The Hodge Podge, Bowers shredded her axe with soul and style, and had jaws dropping throughout Bradley Park. The Nashville-based group played passionate originals ‘Future Trip’ and ‘Girl Like That’, before bringing out a very special guest. Yes, everyone’s favorite hype-man, Flavor Flav, joined the stage for a surprise cover of Kool & The Gang’s ‘Hollywood Swinging’, sealing the deal on a set that will go down in Sea Hear Now history.

Spoon

Later, alt-rockers Spoon drew a big crowd at the Park Stage too, and likely gained a whole new slew of followers. The Austin based group played songs from their incredibly catchy catalog, making quick converts with ear-worms like ‘The Hardest Cut’, ’I Turn My Camera On’, and ‘The Way We Get By’. Britt Daniel’s endearing vocals are as crisp as a fresh new vinyl, and each band member got their moment to shine amid a few extended jams. During ‘The Underdog’ – the obvious fan favorite – it was easy to see that you could go to a Spoon show with absolutely no context, and leave with merch in your hand.

Public Enemy

Meanwhile, Flavor Flav was having the ultimate ‘Sunday fun-day’ on the Jersey shore. After his cameo with Grace Bowers, he stopped by the Transparent Clinch Gallery for a quick Q&A with photographer Danny Clinch. Then, Flav joined Chuck D at the Surf Stage, and together Public Enemy commanded a massive congregation of fans on the beach. Flanked by an entourage in full camouflage, the pop culture icons performed all their hits, including ‘He Got Game’, ‘State of the Union (STFU)’, and of course, ‘Fight the Power’. Naturally, Chuck D left his own indelible mark on New Jersey too, rapping with pure precision, and firing up the crowd to ‘bring the noise’.

TV On The Radio

Back at the Park Stage, the words ‘music is the healing force of the universe’ adorned an animated screen behind Brooklyn’s own TV On The Radio, just as their set began. Joined by a robust backing band, core members Tunde Adebimpe, Kyp Malone, and Jaleel Bunton cooked up a booming, multi-layered wall of sound, and it became very clear that their healing force could not (and should not) be contained. Because TV On The Radio have the musical ‘zoomies’ in the best way, brewing bursts of frenetic energy on songs like ‘Happy Idiot’ and ‘Wolf Like Me’ that both captivated and hypnotized attendees at Sea Hear Now.

The only question remaining was, where can we watch TV next?

Sublime

‘My name is Jakob Nowell, and this is Sublime.’

Nearly 30 years after losing the heart and soul of the band, Bradley Nowell’s son Jakob has stepped in to help celebrate his father’s legacy. And, as fate would have it, Sublime’s Sunday set at Sea Hear Now was hosted at none other than Bradley Park. Young Nowell joined founding members Eric Wilson (bass) and Bud Gaugh (drums) in spreading their Southern California rock/reggae vibes, and New Jersey welcomed the band by showing up in droves. Fans of all ages rocked out to a set-list of ‘greatest hits’ including ‘Garden Grove’, ‘40 Oz. to Freedom’, ‘Wrong Way’, ‘What I Got’, and ‘Santeria’, proving that a solid songbook can truly live forever.

Blink-182

The final set of the festival was by another 90’s trio from California: Blink-182. Currently on their ‘Missionary Impossible’ tour, the headliners packed the Surf Stage for one of the most anticipated sets of the weekend. Featuring the original lineup of Mark Hoppus, Travis Barker, and Tom DeLonge, the band got it going with ‘Rock Show’ (and some cool pyrotechnics).

Pop punk gems like ‘First Date’, ‘Josie’, ‘Anthem Part 2’, and ‘Dumpweed’ filled the set, showcasing Travis Barker’s maniacal, rapid fire drum skills. Meanwhile, Hoppus and DeLonge couldn’t resist some juvenile stage banter, cracking jokes about orgasms and ‘Ass-bury Park’. Blink-182 may never grow up…but why would we want that to happen?

The night closed out with a triple dose of radio hits – ‘What’s My Age Again’, ‘All The Small Things’, and ‘Dammit’, culminating with a fireworks display to mark the end of another epic edition of Sea Hear Now.

Check out our coverage from Day 1 here!

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