I spent last weekend in a sea of 35,000 people, packed tightly onto the beach of Asbury Park, anxiously awaiting the single strum of a guitar. I attended Sea Hear Now, an annual musical festival about twenty minutes from my house, with a few friends and ran into dozens of cousins. With Liquid Death (a marketing-savvy water brand) in hand, I listened to Noah Kahan on Saturday night as the moon rose above the ocean. I stood swaying and singing as though I were in the privacy of my car, except I was standing on the beach I usually take my dog to, dripping sweat on fellow millennials and the younger Gen Z he attracts. He sang and strummed his guitar to all of his classics and kindly advised the audience to “fuck off” if they didn’t know his old stuff, which included New Perspective. Fortunately, his dark humor and Northern Attitude were respected and reciprocated by the Jersey native crowd.
The next day, I arrived earlier with friends to see one of my new favorite artists, Joy Oladokun, and I finally learned how to pronounce her last name (O-lad-okun). This time, the sun was shining, and the beach was wide open as she sang all of my favorites– Look Up, Drugs, Sweet Symphony, and closed out with We’re All Gonna Die. Her sound is smooth, distinct, and effortless, yet she is seriously underrated as an artist despite having hits with Noah Kahan, Chris Stapleton, and Michael Marcagi. Later, as Norah Jones played, I sat on a patch of grass and ate a $19 Mediterranean salad, hydrated with another Liquid Death, and had to have a Jersey Girl Ice Pop sugar fix to sustain my energy for the night ahead.
As the sun went down and the ocean winds picked up, the beach filled with concertgoers standing shoulder to shoulder awaiting the most anticipated Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. They played hits like Dancing in the Dark and Rosalita for over three hours, and everyone was on their feet. The next day, I realized my Oura ring caught 1 hour and 7 minutes of that time spent dancing.
The whole weekend I kept asking myself, how lucky am I to live so close to this magical musical city? Between sets, I would walk from one stage to another and pass fellow concert-goers wearing t-shirts that said “Music Saved Asbury Park,” in addition to the many “I Heard Bruce Might Show Up.” It’s fitting that Bruce performed, considering his 1973 debut album, Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J., helped put the city on the map. The following year, The Stone Pony opened its doors, a venue Bruce is known to show up at, and has remained an icon of music venues in the U.S., and continues to host artists, old and new. Born over two decades after these musical milestones, I’ve always witnessed the connection between fellow Jerseyians and Bruce. They identify with his story, a once scrappy young New Jersey kid with a five-decade-long rock ‘n roll career that’s not ending anytime soon. There’s a shared sense of pride in showing up in a space that means so much for so many people and the spiritual experience that is attending one of his concerts.
After a ten-maybe fifteen-minute, dramatic, and audience-engaging version of Twist-and-Shout, Bruce and the E-Street Band closed out the night with Jersey Girl. Confirming that the pros up on stage know what they’re doing.
On Monday morning, I woke up in immense back pain and severe exhaustion, but the gratitude was still flowing. After a quick text to the group chat to confirm I was not the only one in full-body pain, I rewatched videos of the night before and was not-so-kindly reminded by my Oura ring that I had a “stressful” weekend. I reframed and reminded myself that these fun weekends are finite and that the pain was well worth the gain.
As local summer hits its peak, moments and experiences like this remind me just how fortunate I am to live here. These quiet September days spent by the beach allow me to reflect and relish in the rich history that I’m lucky to know and, in small ways, be a part of. "One day, I'll tell my kids or grandkids, 'I saw Bruce Springsteen in Asbury Park!' And with that, the Jersey legacy continues."
Loving Lately
Reading + Making + Watching
Reading: Sea Hear Now Recaps
This was my second year attending SHN, and I would not know what I would be doing if it were not for my cousins, who showed me the ropes three years ago. One of my cousin’s is married to an incredibly cool human, Audra Tracy, who writes for The Waster. Check out her recap of Sea Hear Now Day 1 and Day 2.
Making: Pumpkin Spice Breakfast Cookies
I was craving a sweet treat the other night and surprised myself when I reached into my cabinet for the Pumpkin Spice. I found a recipe from Salted Plains for Pumpkin Spice Breakfast Cookies and was even more surprised I had all the ingredients already. They’re vegan, gluten-free, and can be whipped up in twenty minutes or less. I’ve been enjoying these as a mid-day snack and will surely capture a photo next time I make them!
Watching: Early 2000s TikTok
A few weeks ago, I came across a TikTok video of a cover band called Brian Kirk and the Jirks playing at a local beach bar on the Jersey Shore called Donovans on Labor Day weekend of 2001. Playing alongside Brian Kirk and his bandmates were none other than Bruce Springsteen and Patti Scialfa. Audience members jumped up and down and sang along as they played “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out,” living fully in the present moment as this was a decade before smartphones became the norm.
I did a double-take when the video came across my screen. This felt like something I could have experienced, albeit for the fact that I was five years old at the time. All the components—the band, the bar, the NJ legends—are elements I know well. You can check out more from YouTube– Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out.
Thanks for reading this very Jersey-focused Substack. I’m grateful for my readers, near and far!
xoxo
Nicole
Jersey! BRUUUUUCE! Thanks for the recap. This Jersey Girl missed the fun.