When the landmark pop-punk and hardcore festival Skate and
Surf announced that it would take place for the first time in almost ten years
last year, the announcement was met with overwhelming support. That support
turned to jeers, however, as the even was marred by a location change that
proved to be both a logistical and organizational nightmare, a weekend forecast
that simply didn’t co-operate with an outdoor festival, and a rumors of heavy
merch cut percentages causing several bands to refuse to sell merchandise at
the festival. I was fairly critical of last year’s Skate and Surf, saying that
the one saving grace was that I also was able to go to Six Flags each morning
before the festival grounds opened (and Fall Out Boy playing an awesome set in
the pouring rain didn’t hurt).
So when the festival was announced as returning in 2014, I
made a promise to myself. Despite having gone to every New Jersey area
Bamboozle/Skate and Surf since 2008, I would only go to Skate and Surf 2014 if
Midtown reunited. Well, it turns out festival organizer John D’Esposito got
Gabe and the gang back together for not one but two sets on the weekend. As a
result, I decided to make the trek to Asbury Park for the second day of the
two-day festival. The festival suffered yet another location change this year,
moving from Middletown to Asbury Park, but yet again the location change ended
up benefiting the festival in the long run. Moving the festival back to Asbury Park
allowed Skate and Surf to go back to its roots and allowed the fans to
appreciate the festival’s legacy.
