Press photo from the sponsors. 2018
Sponsor photo
Paul Goldfinger, Editor@Blogfinger.net
This post is from 2018, now modified from when we reported on the inaugural visit of the Sea.Hear.Now Festival in A. Park. We raised some issues as described below. Th dates are updated for 2019, but we have few details. We raised some interesting concerns last year, and the comments are still present from 2018. Go to the website for more details. It’s $150.00 for general admission tickets (was $120.00 in 2018). It’s still cheaper than a Broadway show, and there is a lot of talent on board here.
GO TO CONSEQUENCEOFSOUND.NET
The Sea.Hear.Now festival, taking place Sept. 21-22 2019, on the beach and in Bradley Park in Asbury. The Lumineers and the Dave Matthews are the headliners among the 27 acts performing on three stages.
Other attractions will include surfing contests, demonstrations, yoga, food trucks, and others.
20,000 people are expected each day, and the noise will persist into the evening on both days.
It’s interesting that this private extravaganza will shut down a large swath of north A. Park to the public. I was down there late Friday, and the security and restrictions are reminiscent of a third world country.
Why should this event close down large portions of the public’s beach, boardwalk and parks to the public unless admission tickets (wrist bands) are purchased? Where is the precedent for this at the Jersey Shore, and right in Ocean Grove’s backyard?
What happened to the civil liberties of all who don’t attend but who live around here? You can be sure that there will be gridlock parking in OG. When they have huge events in Central Park, such as Shakespeare in the Park, it is usually free except for rare benefits.
Anyone can photograph in Central Park, but at this Asbury festival they will not allow Blogfinger to photograph despite our press credentials. As of Friday, all press credentials are being denied. Freedom of the press on public property?? They do not want any professional photographers at the events.
Most of the people attending will be from out of town. There will be congestion in small areas. Many hotels in the region extending to Staten Island and Brooklyn are already sold out. This event has tied up the entire area, and to what end? Who benefits? Who gets the huge amount of money to be generated? Will some drop into the coffers of the City of Asbury park to benefit the citizens, the tax payers, the poor, the homeless, etc?
And what about the impact on the environment including the ocean and Wesley lake? I bet Bradley, the founder of AP would not approve. And Stokes would jump out of his chair. And the event will go on into the night.
Why is AP allowing and encouraging this? What is really the point of it? In 2012 they allowed Bamboozle, and that was a failure.
But Grovers, you might just want to go. It does look like fun, and some of you did go last year.
Why not move this thing to California or Woodstock–they have lots of space there.? Somebody tell them the way to San Jose.
DIONNE WARWICK:
If they get a permit from the City, then can get streets to close. The Chamber closes streets in the Grove for some of their events here.
There is a precedent for this type of security at an event at the Jersey shore. It was held in Seaside Heights a few years ago and was called the Gentlemen Of The Road concert. The entire boardwalk and beach was closed off to all except those wearing purchased wristbands.I’m not sure what financial arrangements were made between the town and the concert promoters and I don’t recall a restriction on cameras …
Apparently AP residents didn’t feel inconvenienced? I would have been pretty upset if I had not been allowed on my own boardwalk on such a beautiful day. And on Monday morning I would have been in touch with the town’s business administrator! I’m glad I don’t live in a “hip town”.
I just love “faux hip town” doubling down on security for what? Incubus, Deborah Harry? Asbury hosted the Rolling Stones, The Who, Janice Joplin, Jefferson Airplane and more – in their prime without a town-wide security presence. Just have to shake your head in wonder at the “new” Asbury Park.
Except for the free parkers and Airbnb partiers, most of us in Ocean Grove don’t care.
We just want to BE HERE NOW!
Meredith. I do know how to use a cell phone for photography. The only way to do that under these conditions would be to pay the admission price ($120.00), and then you could take pictures, but not with “professional” equipment.
The press should not have to pay admission to cover the news and give them free publicity.
It is an interesting phenomena that a public boardwalk, beach, park, public metered parking and city streets are closed to the general public for an entire weekend and made available to private enterprise to hold a multi-location concert to which admission is charged.
It would be interesting to know if the concert promoters are paying for the additional security and clean up. It has been reported that AP will receive $1 per ticket; if 20,000 attendees are anticipated, $20,000 might not cover these costs.
Editor’s note: One of the promoters was interviewed and was asked how they hope to prevent nonpaying individuals from walking onto the beach.
He said that they have the best security in the country. But the other price to be paid for this “best security” is the good will lost by closing off public spaces with a small army of rigid, security people. It feels wrong. You want to say, “Hey, I live here and I can’t step onto our boardwalk?”
I ran into them at the door exiting to the empty boardwalk and I couldn’t even walk out from the “Grand Arcade” under their watchful eyes to take a few snapshots. I had no tripod, no professional video equipment and no lights.
Two of them dealt with my request at the door which was to walk over a short distance on the boards to take a few photos from that location. The event had not started, there were no crowds and no other photographers around.
If you really want to take pictures, just put your creds. in your pocket & use your cell phone like the rest of the world does! No one will notice & you will have the images you want.
Chuckie nailed it especially since there are no real organizations looking into the development of that part of town. You would think after all of these years the least, the least that could have been done was put in a small park with tree’s shrubs, benches.
That is an amazing link and the photos actually showed human beings without cell phone crutches. FYI Grovers this event happened when your North End derelict property was just a child at 10 years old, unmarred by progress. Now it’s middle-aged and looking forward to many many more years unmarred by progress.
Tom Pritchard tells us that there was a huge crowd of 70,000 on the AP beach in 1988 when the radio station WNEW sponsored a Memorial Day concert. Here is a link:
https://amp.app.com/amp/643727002
Editor’s note: But, as far as I can tell, those were not commercial money making events with large security forces to keep some people away from public beaches as we have now. It sounds like anyone could go for free.—-PG