A sold out crowd of approximately 50,000 descended upon Ocean City, Maryland for the second successful year of Oceans Calling Festival from September 27th-29th, 2024. Luckily avoiding most of the brunt of the rain caused by Hurricane Helene that caused cancellations at festivals further in the south like Louder Than Life and South Star Festival, Ocean City still had some weather to contend with on Friday, but the show went on (mostly) without a hitch and the sun even came out at times throughout the remainder of the weekend.

Naturally, the worst of the rain was during my favorite set of the weekend, Blink-182, causing them to have to start late and cut their set short. There were also issues with the PA system due to the weather, and as the rain continued to get harder and harder, more people gave up and left early to get out of the elements. Luckily, I was in front of the soundboard while photographing the first 3 songs and in the VIP section for the remainder of their set, so I actually got to thoroughly enjoy the short set without noticing the sound problems other than from my walk around the crowd getting into VIP. They were going to let the band play later to make up for the late start, but right around when 11pm came around, singer and bassist Mark Hoppus said they had to call it short and had the crowd decide between hearing “All The Small Things” or “Dammit” as their final song (“Dammit” was the winner). Already soaked to the bone, I was embracing the rain and just dancing and singing my heart out. I was stoked to finally see a Blink-182 show with Tom back in the band, and nothing was going to ruin that for me. It was a show I’ll certainly never forget, and definitely the highlight of my weekend.

Although the Blink-182 set is what stands out to me the most, it was far from the only highlight of the weekend. Some of the other highlights for me were:

Cage The Elephant: Aside from Blink-182 and The Killers, Cage The Elephant was my favorite band on the lineup this year, and after missing them at Bonnaroo due to schedule conflicts I was so happy to catch their set. Even with a broken foot, lead singer Matt Shultz was wheeling all around the stage with a knee scooter and they sounded great.
Winona Fighter: I didn’t get into the festival early enough to photograph them, but I caught the last half of their set and I really enjoyed them. Very high energy newer pop punk band that feels like something that would’ve been on Warped Tour back in the day. Definitely one I’ll be adding to my Spotify rotation and keeping an eye on in the future.
The Offspring: I met up with some friends and accidentally timed riding the Ferris Wheel perfectly to where, by the time it was our turn in line, we saw their last two songs from the very top of the wheel. I was surprised how clearly you could actually hear the Rockville stage from up there, it was a really cool moment, and an experience to keep in mind for the future!
O.A.R. and Friends: After it being more fun that I ever expected last year, I know it was a must see for this year. One thing that stuck out to me was that they brought out Dee Snider from Twisted Sister and they sang “We’re Not Gonna Take It”, which brought me straight back to my childhood days of playing Guitar Hero.
The Beach Boys: So much fun to photograph, and even though they’re older and not entirely the original lineup, they have so many amazing, beachy, nostalgic songs that everyone knows and loves. Great vibes all around. I actually regret leaving their set to catch another band.
The Killers: I got used to seeing The Killers pretty often at Firefly Music Festival since they tended to play there every 2 or 3 years, so this felt super nostalgic and fun for me. They’re great performers with so many sing-a-long hits. I wish they had a more open policy for allowing photographers, because their set design was absolutely stunning, but I wasn’t able to photograph it. You’ll have to catch them for yourselves to see it!
Dave Matthews Band: I’ve never been a Dave Matthews Band fan, but I found myself having a hard time walking away because he sounded great, even though I didn’t know any of the songs. I also was just trying to soak in the last moments of the festival since this was the closing set on Sunday to end the weekend on a high note.

In terms of logistics and the festival grounds, it felt very similar to last year, and it felt like a very well run festival overall. I highly recommend going with the VIP option if you can manage it. Free canned water, clean trailer-style bathrooms, seating, great views of the stages, and much less dense crowds than GA made it a pleasant experience all around. In the GA areas, my only gripe continues to be that I wish they put down some solid sort of hard ground path on the far side of the beach by the water-side as an additional walkway between the two main stages, Sea Bright and Rockville. Even for the general consumer, some extra coverage from the sandy terrain would be a welcome addition, though I suppose devil's advocate would say that people should know what they’re getting into when buying a ticket for a beach festival.

All in all, Oceans Calling seems to have found a model that really works for them in terms of bookings, somewhat filling the gap left behind by Firefly Music Festival with alternative rock acts like The Killers and Blink-182, but also adding in some slightly older-demographic bands like Blues Traveler as well as some more beach-focused bands to keep the vibe very beachy with acts like Sublime and The Beach Boys. People seem to really enjoy it as it's sold out two years in a row now and they’ve expanded to include “Country Calling” as well. I hope and expect to see it return for years to come, and I can’t wait to see what next year's lineup will be.