Foo Fighters rock, but sound mars Weezer set at Sea Hear Now in Asbury Park

When you hear “Turn it up!“ at a rock concert, it usually comes from a performer on stage.

When the audience repeatedly chants it, that’s not a good sign. That’s what happened during Weezer’s set Sunday, Sept. 17, at the Sea Hear Now music, art and surfing festival on the Asbury Park waterfront.

Thousands of Weezer fans on the beach inside the festival grounds were disappointed as the band played and little to no sound could be heard.

The chanting started several times, including prior to a performance of “Undone (The Sweater Song).”

Lead singer Rivers Cuomo seemed oblivious to the problem, and took a picture of the massive crowd, many of whom could not hear the music.

The sound did not seem to be a problem closer to the stage. Problems arose during the Beach Boys set.

“I noticed with the Beach Boys, you couldn’t hear any sound at all if you were standing behind the Verizon tent,” said Michael O’Brien of Brick. “It’s disappointing.”

There were 40,000 at the fest daily, according to Brandon Flowers of the Killers from the stage on Saturday, and 35,000 at the fest daily, said a Sea Hear Now spokesperson. The big crowd seemed to cause fans on the edge of the beach viewing area to stand father away from the stage and speakers than in previous years.

The sound made a rebound for the Foo Fighters set, which was a journey of heavy metal and punk rock from the last 50 years or so. Frontman Dave Grohl and his bandmates have a fondness for rocking riffs.

They played snippets of Van Halen’s “Ain’t Talking ‘Bout Love,” Metallica’s “Enter Sandman” and Black Sabbath’s “Paranoid.” They all sounded so good it was too bad they didn’t finish the songs. More snippets came during the band intros.

The six-member band is tight, loud and ever ready to make a big noise. Grohl is one of best screamers in the business, and it’s an art.

“I get paid to do this,” Grohl quipped after he initiated a screaming contest with the audience.

Josh Freese is the band’s new drummer, having taken the mantle from the late Taylor Hawkins, who died last year at the age of 50. Freese is thunder on the skins. He’s quite a pro, whose resume includes a stint with Devo.

Grohl was impressed that a fan knew Freese was in Devo.

“I have to be honest, you don’t look like you like Devo, but you love Devo,” said Grohl to the fan.

Later, a tribute to Hawkins included a performance of the Foo Fighters song “Aurora.”

“Give it up for Taylor so he can (blanking) hear you,” said Grohl, who then looked at the ocean. “This is definitely Taylor’s vibe by the way.”

The Beach Boys, who made their city debut in 1965 at Convention Hall, performed a triumphant, and a bit off-kilter, set of their surfiest classics.

Plus a surprise or two, including a cover version of the Ramones punk rock classic “Rockaway Beach.”

“Wild Honey,” an often overlooked late-1960s track from the band, was also performed with drummer John Bolton on vocals. He looks, and acts, like the late Keith Moon.

Speaking of surprises, yes, that was actor John Stamos on stage with the band — he’s touring with the group for the next month or two. And no, Mike Love is not his biological father, as the stage banter between the two suggested.

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They performed “Fun, Fun, Fun” after a short intro.

“This next song is in the ‘Barbie’ movie so that makes us up to date as to what is happening,” Love said.

Their classics remain timeless. As they were performing “Good Vibrations,” even the seagulls felt the vibe as they flew up from behind the stage and over the audience.

No, they weren’t looking for French fries.

The Killers closed the first day of the festival on Saturday, Sept. 16.

Sea Hear Now is produced by C3 Presents, the team behind Lollapalooza, and locals Danny Clinch and Tim Donnelly. Clinch is a Toms River native who has photographed the greats of music, from Bruce Springsteen to Tupac Shakur.

The North Beach Rumble surfing contest returned on waves churned by Hurricane Lee over the weekend with captains Cam Richards and Sam Hammer. Surfers included Will Skudin, Cassidy McClain, Jamie DeWitt, Rob Kelly and Pat Schmidt.

Stoke Henge, located in the sand just off the boardwalk, was a popular selfie destination again this year. The display highlighted the work of city artist Pork Chop. The Transparent Clinch Gallery featured the works on the musicians playing the fest, including a Beach Boys surfboard from Mike Love and Bruce Johnston.

Sea Hear Now, which takes place on the North Beach and Bradley Park, debuted in 2018.

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Chris Jordan, a Jersey Shore native, covers entertainment and features for the USA Today Network New Jersey. Contact him at @chrisfhjordan; [email protected]

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Foo Fighters rock Sea Hear Now finale in Asbury Park