Chinatown Summer Nights 2019: June Edition

I've been going to Chinatown Summer Nights for years. I'm seen some great bands there like Eastern Conference Champions, Dorothy and Lauren Ruth Ward. This summer series is always on my list. The first night of this 2019 summer series occurred on a recent Saturday night. I was able to catch:
JEMS, Lijie, Mark Diamond and syd B.

The biggest surprise of the night was syd B who closed out the night for me. She just has this smooth soul sound that is very addicting. She also had two young fans that were likely related to her and just loved her. Before the set, I saw one of them going up to her and hugging her leg tight. It was so cute. Like all the artists that I saw, syd B had a hard time convincing folks to leave the beer garden and come up to the stage (though she did have folks packing the front of the beer garden). With her two young fans, they followed her request to come closer to the stage. They spent the set running to the front of the stage for a song and then running back to their parents and then running back to the stage.

syd B

Mark Diamond was also a pleasant surprise. His vocals are so pure and lyrics thoughtfully written. I do believe his girlfriend was in the audience and when he started one song, I swear I saw her say to a friend, "That song is about me." The band played at the golden hour. For the first part of their set, the sun was blinding the members of the band, but by the end the sun had slipped below the building that was next to the stage, which resulted in the golden lights of the fading sun. A wonderful backdrop for his music.

Mark Diamond

Opening up the day was JEMS. I previously caught about half their set at a Wild Riot event. Their music is a shared experience between the three members of the band. The harmony between the three is as perfect as one can get.

JEMS

Lijie hit the keys and guitar for her set. I did a little research online and saw that she co-wrote a song called "Glorious," which was sung by Adam Friedman. I noticed that the sound is very similar to a band that I love called Wild. It is an anthem for looking on the brighter side of life. And I think you'd be correct to assume that Lijie's set was filled with the same positive energy.

Lijie