Oceans Calling Festival Roars Ashore In 2023

The skies were in a moody dance leading up to this year's Oceans Calling Music Festival, and storms were threatening the coast. After last year's cancellation due to a storm, this left festival goers uneasy. The festival was one weekend off from getting ruined again by a storm, Ophelia, which would have been quite ironic given that The Lumineers were a headlining act. However, Mother Nature heard the cries of the music fans yearning for one final hurrah in the 2023 festival season. Collaborating with Rockville, Maryland's O.A.R., festival organizers delivered a debut music festival, which was surely etched into the history books.

The music festival spanned three days, commencing on Friday, September 29th. The boardwalk was buzzing with music enthusiasts from around the world. Strolling down the boardwalk, it was impossible not to stumble upon impromptu hotel balcony karaoke sessions, adding to the festival's vibrant atmosphere.

Alexandria-based Virginia Coalition (VACO) got things rolling on Saturday afternoon. Andrew Poliakoff showed the washboard who was boss while Eli Staples had the keytar laying down some groovy riffs, which had the crowd howling. VACO brought an energy nothing short of electric, setting the stage for yet another day of music featuring Gin Blossoms, Dispatch, Sheryl Crow, Ben Harper & the Innocent Criminals, Jimmy Eat World, Noah Kahan, Incubus, and others. 

Saturday night reached its climax as the legendary guitarist John Mayer delivered a mesmerizing solo performance. The beach transformed into a vast expanse of people, swaying in harmony to songs, "Who Says," "Neon," and "Stop This Train". Mayer took to the piano to perform "You're Gonna Live Forever in Me" and "Changing." 

But let's take a quick break from the music and talk about the food options for a minute. Not only did organizers have some outstanding food vendors come into the festival, with everything ranging from lobster rolls, birria quesadillas, and some extremely fancy corndogs from Wookie Dogs. Festivalgoers also had access to many boardwalk staples within the festival grounds. Such as Trashers Boardwalk Fries, Tony Lukes Cheesesteaks, and Dumser's Ice Cream just to name a few. 

In addition to the musical acts, Oceans Calling also had chefs on the lineup! Chef Robert Irvine, most notably known from his Food Network show, "Restaurant: Impossible", took to the Carousel stage Friday and Saturday afternoon with guests Michael Franti, Marc Roberge, Richard On, and Jon Lampley. Amidst the cooking tips and tricks, there was no shortage of witty banter, ultimately leading to MC Jason Biggs waterfalling olive oil and O.A.R.'s Jon Lampley being challenged to complete 100 pushups before Chef Irvine and his team were able to finish cooking the meal. On Sunday afternoon, Chopped judge Amanda Freitag helmed the culinary session.  Oceans Calling Festival this year was not only a music lovers paradise but a food lovers paradise as well.

But wait, there's more! Oceans Calling didn't limit its offerings to just great food and music. The festival also treated attendees to complimentary access to most rides at Jolly Roger at the Pier! Festival goers had the chance to take the Ferris wheel to the top and look down on the vast sea of people below. They could also hop into a cart and take a thrilling ride through the Morbid Manor.

And guess what? Kids under eight got in for free! That's right, each ticketed adult could bring along two children at no additional charge. Besides the free pier rides, children (and adults) were able to roam the boardwalk arcades to rack up some tickets and score some cool nicknacks. Oceans Calling truly catered to guests of all ages, ensuring everyone had a memorable experience.

The final day of Oceans Calling was off to a great start when the weather forecast had nothing but sunshine in store for festival goers. Pedal steel guitarist Robert Randolph took center stage Sunday afternoon, showing Ocean City what a gospel bluesy jam band is all about. Randolph's guitar virtuosity wowed the crowd, setting the tone for what lay ahead. 

Following Randolph, ALO (a.k.a. Animal Liberation Orchestra), stepped into the limelight. They took to the stage wielding some incredible mustaches and laying down even more incredible riffs, which ignited a sandy barefoot boogie. 

The music continued to pulse through the sea breeze with Love & Special Sauce, Driver Era, Fitz & the Tantrums, and The Wall Flowers, keeping the crowd on their toes and dancing throughout the afternoon. Southern California-based Dirty Heads, had the crowd jumping and singing along to tunes best listened to with your feet in the sand. Fans went crazy when they heard the beginning of hit song "My Sweet Summer."

Oceans Calling provided many ADA viewing platforms and other accommodations. Also in attendance were multiple ASL interpreters ready to ensure everyone, regardless of their abilities, could fully enjoy the music.

Festival partners O.A.R. rocked the golden hour set, bringing out friends who were at the festival as well as some surprise guests. Andy Poliakoff of Virginia Coalition joined the band on stage for another heartfelt Tom Petty tribute of "I Won't Back Down". O.A.R. shocked the crowd and brought Darryl "DMC" McDaniels and DJ Charlie Chan on stage to perform songs, including; Ram Jam's "Black Betty", which DMC dedicated to Betty White, "Fight for your Right", "It's Tricky", and Aerosmiths "Walk this Way". As if that weren't enough, O.A.R. continued to surpass expectations and brought out Richie Sambora who dished out some electrifying guitar riffs and sang Bon Jovi's "Wanted Dead or Alive" and "Livin on a Prayer".

After the electrifying performance by O.A.R. and their special guests, the stages were graced by Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats performing hits such as, "S.O.B." and "I Need Never Get Old," while Grace Potter enchanted the audience with song including "Medicine" and "Paris (oh la la)".

Weezer took the stage, and the crowd erupted with excitement. It was like a bunch of kids in a candy store, except instead of candy, they were about to devour some sweet Weezer riffs. Rivers Cuomo, sporting his thick-rimmed glasses, filled the air with riffs that transported many back in time, while Scott Shriner had his double-neck guitar/bass combo ready to unleash his distinctive and unforgettable fills. Weezer went on to play hits such as "Beverly Hills," "Undone," and "Say It Ain't So."

Wrapping up the festival Sunday was a soul-stirring performance by The Lumineers. From themes of love and happiness to the gritty depths of addiction, their songs encompass a full spectrum of emotions. The moon lit up the sky, accompanied by Jupiter shining bright next to it. Their reflection danced on the water, providing a beautiful backdrop to end the weekend. The Lumineers graced Ocean City with some of their greatest hits, including, "Ho Hey," Brightside," and "Gloria" - a perfect ending to a perfect edition of Oceans Calling Festival. 

After three glorious days of music in Ocean City,  Maryland, the musical storm that is Oceans Calling blew back out to sea and will come back ashore again in 2024.  This year's festival sold out in a quick minute so we highly recommend that you sign-up for their mailing list and add the festival to your socials if you want to purchase tickets before they sell out again in 2024.  Based on what we witnessed at this years edition, we can hardly wait to see what beachside shenanigans and sing-alongs we have waiting for us in 2024.