Bruce Springsteen Brings the Stoke to New Jersey Surf/Music/Art Festival

“I heard Bruce might show up.”

That’s the old saying that went from inside joke to cultural catch phase around the New Jersey Shore’s music scene. The reference is that at every significant show in Asbury Park, there would be a rumor that Bruce Springsteen was going to do a few surprise numbers with whatever band was scheduled to play.

The Boss doesn’t just sing about his hometown. He truly has a love for its rock history and still lives just a few miles away. Hangs at the beach all the time. Over the years, has walked on stage to join his musical brothers who might be in town– the Houserockers at the Wonderbar, Mike Ness at the Pony, or the Gaslight Anthem at Convention Hall.

But for every time he has done that, there were 99 other events that he didn’t. And so, “Bruce might show up…” became the punch line. It’s funny enough that the Cookman Ave. novelty store Rebel Supply had half the crowd wearing t-shirts with that quote on Sunday at the surf/art/music festival Sea.Hear.Now on the beach in Asbury. (The other half were wearing NY Giants jerseys.)

And they were right. He was the headliner. After two days of bands, the “North Beach Rumble” surf event, friends and art installations, Bruce played on the beach, his first Asbury show in over 20 years.

The surf portion featured a dozen of the Mid-Atlantic’s best (and Cam Richards, who just seems to love coming to catch the live music and leaving with a big check) to bring the best possible live surf action to a festival steeped in surf culture. The event correctly banks on the fact that the historical height of hurricane season is mid-September and usually benefits from some kind of tropically produced swell arriving between Asbury’s big jetties. It’s kind of like a Springsteen show ... you can pretty much count on it to deliver. But while the Boss played for three hours at 74 years old, hurricane season has been more like Perry Farrell this September.

Saturday was small and onshore. Sunday’s surf came up thanks to onshore winds from a combination of low pressure near the Outer Banks and high over New England, for some semi-ripable stuff on Sunday.

As this was more of about a show than competition, the surfers were just told to go out for an hour and make Magic ... which then did. Cassidy McClain maintained adequate speed, bash and flow to take another Sea.Hear.Now title, all to the music that could be heard for a half mile in every direction.

“You surf events and occasionally there’s a live band, but not like this,” the Jersey Girl admitted.

Cam Richards was the standout among the men both days, sticking a varial on one wave and a gorgeous backside air on another Saturday to take him to The Promised Land.

“Surfing with Kool and the Gang playing live was something you don’t do every week” laughed Richards as he got out of the warm blue sea. A humpback whale had showed up just outside the Sea.Hear.Now floating eyeballs, apparently to jam out to “Jungle Boogie.”

“But I hear tonight is going to be something and I’m stoked to check it out,” he added.

New Yorker Balaram stack was interested in catching the Action Bronson set. The Queens rapper and entertainer gets in the waters off Long Island on his bodyboard year-round.

“I’ve been in the water with him when Will Skudin brings him around,” said Stack, “And I know he’s going to rip up this stage.”

But for the Jersey surfers, there was really one thing on their mind – the same thing as each of the 35,000 people in attendance. Bruce was gonna show up.

“I mean, I love Action, but Bruce is going to be something different. I’m not the biggest fan, but he’s been a part of my life since I was born. To have such a legend play on the beach is the coolest thing ever,” said Tommy Ihnken, who lives in Asbury. His father spent the day with North Shore water photog heavy, Brian Bielman, who actually is the biggest Bruce fan and made the trip to New Jersey for the occasion.

Not content to just headline, Springsteen came on stage with The Trey Anastasio band. And then just before his set, he joined The Gaslight Anthem, a local alt/punk/folk rock band with an international following that roughly shaped their esthetic around Springsteen in the mid 2000s. Bruce strolled right out with the band as the moon rose over Convention Hall. Ocean City’s Rob Kelly posted up just in front of the stage, taking it all in.

“The newest member of the Gaslight Anthem... Bruce Springsteen...” announced frontman Brian Fallon, as they all launched into “History Books,” and “American Slang.”

And as the late summer dark fell, Bruce took the stage. The pro surfers (and a few thousand others) had VIP access. The crowd behind stretched a good four blocks on the beach and boardwalk. Lit up sport fishing vessel and party boats bounced in the chop just outside the line up as Bruce dug deep, playing deeper cuts from Greetings from Asbury Park and The Wild, the Innocent & The E Street Shuffle, some that haven’t been played live in years.

Before playing “Thundercrack”, he told the crowd, “I wrote this song in the back of a surfboard factory in Wanamassa.”

He was referring to the town adjacent to Asbury where Carl Tinker West built his seminal Challenger Eastern Surfboards in the 60s and 70s. West, would become the E Street Band’s manager until 1972 forever tying New Jersey’s surf roots into the music story. With NJ shaper Charles Mencel, West shaped a pair of Challenger longboards this summer, both singed by Bruce and displayed in the Transparent Gallery tent. The boards are still up for online auction through October 1 and the funds will benefit the Trinity Center for Community, Inspire + Life, Mercy Center NJ, The Cazzeek Brothers, Project R.E.A.L. and Boys & Girls Club of Monmouth County. Mencel and 89-year-old Tinker hung with the surf crew and then took in the night of Springsteen by the sea.

“This year was unbelievable! It was the most significant concert in New Jersey of my lifetime ... Bruce Springsteen on the beach in the town where he started? You can’t top that,” said Lavallette’s Sam Hammer.

If there is a surf version of the Boss, it would be Hammer, still leading the culture since the mid 90s and easily still the standout in the water.

Bruce didn’t skip any favorites. He tore the beach up with “Hungry Heart,” “Atlantic City”, “Wrecking Ball,” “Badlands,” “Thunder Road” and “Dancing in the Dark”.

“That band put in one hell of a show,” he continued “Plus, being able to surf to live music earlier like that gave us a little more energy. The surf was actually pretty fun, that Sunday crowd was huge and everyone surfed really well. It’s an experience I know I will never forget. Hopefully I get the call back for next year because it’s such an honor to be a part of this special festival!”

Related: Scope of Bruce Springsteen’s Surfing Roots Revealed at Asbury Park Music/Surf Festival