Turnout at this weekend’s School of Rock Festival in Asbury Park was a little less than stellar. But while the three-day event was short on people, it was the short people that stole the show. The kids really are alright.

Sure, the festival featured big-timers like Ween, the Benevento/Russo Duo, Sam Champion, a late-night Bustle In Your Hedgerow set and plenty of others, but the kids from Paul Green’s School of Rock that descended upon the Dirty Jerz blew everyone away. If only we were half as cool and half as talented as these kids at that age…

We drove down to the Land of Springsteen for a Saturday > Sunday boardwalk excursion, a taste of the rock with a hint of the beach. As with just about everything they promote, Rocks Off and Paul Green put together an incredibly memorable and special event for the kid rockers, the cool parents, and the non-aligned revelers. The quality and caliber of the entire, well-run festival experience was only matched by the quality and caliber of the musical experience.

We arrived on the grounds as the Benevento/Russo Duo hit the stage, the first time I’ve seen them play since their Fifth Anniversary show at the Knitting Factory days after Christmas. The Duo plays rarely these days, and just like any indulgence, it tastes so much better when you space things out. Benevento seems as inspired as I’ve seen him in some time, and it’s always a treat to see Russo at the kit playing Duo tunes. After watching him anchor a number of different (and fantastic) bands, you sometimes forget how truly amazing he is on his own fucking songs.

Read on after the jump for more of our fanboy rundown of Saturday’s festivities, as well as pictures and a few videos from the event…

Apollo Sunshine once again proved that rock and/or roll is alive and kicking on last night’s Rocks Off boat cruise.

Warm weather, blue skies and, well, sunshine offered a perfect environment for a three-hour floating rock show around lower Manhattan, and Apollo Sunshine provided a high-energy blast of power pop, heavy on the power.

You can try to list some similar-sounding bands to describe their sound, but you’d have to list at least six or seven to even attempt to portray a realistic vision of what we heard last night. It was truly a perfect evening of music, friends, gorgeous views, the Queen Mary II and a gigantic double necked bass/guitar.

Read on to see whether Scotty got a good look up Lady Liberty’s knickers…