Staff Editor on July 18th, 2022

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After three long years, Chinatown Summer Nights returned Saturday night to the heart of Chinatown. For Los Angeles music fans, the Mandarin Plaza parking space was once again turned into a live music stage. It did not take long to get reacquainted and settled in. The Gold Line light rail line pulling in and out of the Chinatown stop just below the stage. Children showed off their dance moves throughout the night until their parents called it and took them home for their bedtime. There was the wavy shaking of the transformed second floor parking area as cars pulled into the first floor below. The always entertaining Chinese dragon dancers dropped by. Maybe one subtle change was that in the beer garden, economic inflation resulted in smaller beer cups.

The stacked music line-up started off with Roman Around, who had fun quizzing the crowd about the names of the band members. Xelli Island’s dreamy pop sounds entertained during the golden hour. Trace had the crowd taking out their phones and turning on the flashlight app for the song “Honey.” Marieme’s R&B sounds entertained the crowd while she joked that she had seen many spellings of her name, but she liked her iteration the best. Samantha Barbera of Beginners used the full stage and floor to her advantage for the band’s catchy electronic-pop songs such as “Broke.” Closing out the night was Sugi Dakks who high-stepped it onto the stage. His music broaches serious topics such as his multiracial heritage in the song “Not the Only One.” Providing entertainment between sets was DJ Mini Bear.

If you missed out on this particular Chinatown Summer Nights, the event returns on Aug. 20.

Photos and recap by Notes From Vivace