After three long years, Capitol Hill Block Party 2022 returned with a stacked lineup. The most magical weekend of summer in Seattle was met with perfect weather to accompany the festival. A nice breeze blew through the bright blue, clear skies as the sun gently warmed up vitamin D deficient bodies. At the end of the weekend, I had made it to over 40 sets by different artists and bands across almost every single stage at the festival. I couldn’t possibly mention every beautiful moment spent along Pike St., but I will give you a glimpse into my weekend and the performances I saw.
How I Prepared For The Festival
- Had a plan
- I cannot stress this enough, pre-screen the lineup and come prepared knowing who you want to see, when they’re performing, and at what stage they will be performing at. I plugged all of my sets into my calendar on my phone with notifications that would go off to let me know their set was starting. This way, when I missed a set, it was by choice instead of by accident.
- Packed lightly, but deliberately
- Only bring the essentials. I needed my ID, debit, ORCA, chapstick, vape pen, battery pack, and a charging cable. Along with a couple of extra recording equipment things that my media pass allowed me to bring in.
- Micro-dosed throughout the day
- I started my day off by eating a little bit of edibles and shrooms which I continued to micro-dose throughout the weekend. The key is to do low doses spaced out over time so that it lightly enhances your perception instead of completely inhibiting you. Doing this allowed me to be happy, functional, and high all day long. Same goes for alcohol, go slow with it.
CHBP 2022 Performances Day One: Friday July 22, 2022
I started my entire weekend at Neumos with Meltt. They immediately melted away a lot of the stress I had built up throughout the week. After that, I jaunted over to the Vera Stage for the band THEM. The local, youthful, sunshine-pop band lit up the stage. They performed some songs off of their recently released debut project, The Car EP.
Then it was time for ARCHIE on the main stage. Her hair was a telltale sign of how big her performance was going to be. Anybody who was there will tell you her choreography was unique and intriguing from start to finish, making her set a highlight of the day. She made sure the audience knew that she’s been a bad bitch all her life, empowering them to do the same.
ARCHIE and her dance troupe performing on the Main Stage at Capitol Hill Block Party 2022 | Photo by Joshua Lewis
I followed that with jazz, soul, pop songstress Ariana Deboo who was backed by her super dreamy band. Her sweet serenades left me craving something tasty. I popped out to the Jameson sponsored beer garden which was complete with fake grass and corn hole.
The real reason I went out there, though, was for the deep-fried mother-cluckin’ goodness that is Bok a Bok Chicken. It’s a Capitol Hill Block Party tradition for me to pick up a three-piece tender with tots, ranch for the dip, and a berry lemonade from Jones Soda. In true inner-city festival style, I sat on the street curb and ate while I took a quick vape break.
Dave Shanaé was one of the artists that I was already familiar with. However, he was also one of the sets that blew me away. He had rearranged some old songs, which he previously recorded under his old moniker, MistaDC. These new arrangements sounded super fresh, to me, and were a pleasant surprise.
New York collective, MICHELLE, was a new one for me, but I was happy I got to see them. I was super impressed that all four singers had their own unique sounds and could stand out from each other. Simultaneously, though, they still came together to harmonize beautifully.
Musical collective, MICHELLE performing on the Vera Stage at Capitol Hill Block Party 2022 | Photo by Joshua Lewis
When TokiMonsta popped on the main stage, it was a chance for me to kind of vibe out for a moment. I needed to prepare myself before the high-energy of a Jango performance. And let me tell you, he did not disappoint. I heard people talking about his set the rest of the weekend!
I ran downstairs to catch Small Paul for a couple minutes, but I needed to wander off and recenter myself for a moment. Cafe Racer was nestled in one of the corners of the grounds. So, it was a great place for me to regroup. While I was there, I took a moment to dance with the groovy disco queen, JNA.
After that, I realized that I left my phone charger at home and needed to hit the Media Lounge to power up. I checked out MEMBA, since the Vera Stage was right next to the lounge inside of Chop House Row. Then it was time to let the little punk rocker in me release some energy with an exceptionally grimy and rowdy performance by Seattle-based punk band, LYSOL. I absolutely love disappearing down into the red-soaked depths of Cha Cha Lounge.
To end the night, I linked up with Peaceful Pinder and friends for some drinks before hitting the Vera Stage for British-American rapper, IDK. This was one of the loudest crowds I heard all weekend. At one point they were chanting his name and finishing his lyrics for him when asked. Out of all the larger font size acts, IDK was the one I was the most excited for. It turned out to be everything I hoped for and more. I rode that energy out the rest of the night, along with a few more drinks. Eventually, heading home to prepare for day two.
CHBP 2022 Performances Day Two: Saturday July 23, 2022
On Saturday, my lineup of artists was massive with hardly any down time. I showed up later than I wanted to, but still early enough to catch a full day of music. Vancouver, BC based band, FRANKIIE, had just started their set when I walked into Neumos. After a few surf-pop centric songs, I rolled downstairs to Barboza for the next set.
Down at Barboza, Todd Zack Jr. crooned and swooned my heart with his swaying R&B music. His voice soothed my soul. He reaffirmed why I take a chance on listening to artists I’ve never heard of before. Later in the day, I got the opportunity to chop it up with him. His personality matched his vocals with an infectious energy. I’ll most likely be a fan of his for life.
Seattle’s favorite family-oriented rock band, The Black Tones, took over the main stage. Their mom was even backing them up with some vocals, a little tambourine, and a whole lot of grooving. Twins, Cedric and Eva have no fear when it comes to being in front of an audience. They owned the stage, and brought out friend and fellow CHBP 2022 performer, Jango, to help them shut the shit down.
The Black Tones performing on the Main Stage at Capitol Hill Block Party 2022 | Photo by Jim Bennett
I spent a fair amount of time in Barboza on Saturday, catching both Seiichi and AllA back-to-back down there. I had never heard of Seiichi before Block Party but now I’m definitely a fan of their smooth, wavy, jazzy vibes. On the other hand, I’m a big fan of AllA and her dreamy R&B, pop vocals. Seeing her perform is always thrilling. In between their sets, I crawled out of the Barboza cave and made sure to get my quintessential scoop of Molly Moon’s ice cream. I ate that while watching Cannons on the main stage.
After that, I went over to the Vera Stage to get a taste of the Tacoma rock band, Enumclaw. I’ve watched their name pop up all over the digital world and had been waiting for a good opportunity to see them live. Thankfully, I caught them at CHBP because THEY SHRED! It was a blast to bounce around with their crowd during their set.
Aramis Johnson of the band Enumclaw shredding the Vera Stage at Capitol Hill Block Party 2022 | Photo by Christine Mitchell
At the last Block Party in 2019, I saw Evan GIIA give a stellar performance on the Vera Stage. Allowing her to upgrade to the Main Stage for her performance at CHBP 2022. The momentum she has gained over the past few years helped project her set to a crowd that spanned all the way down the block.
At this point in the festival, set times had been pushed back and sound issues were starting to pop up. Colombian American artist, Ela Minus, had to stop performing at one point. She was frustrated that there was a lot of feedback in the monitors and the lights made it so that she couldn’t see what she was doing. She continued on, regardless, but it was obvious that it was a bit frustrating.
Meanwhile, one of the craziest and, honestly, most disappointing sets of the weekend was Danny Brown’s. Although, the audience who was there will probably not soon forget his performance, it wasn’t really a musical performance. Danny Brown even said something along the lines of, “They’re paying me to rap, but sometimes I just don’t want to do that.” Instead, opting for moments of conversation with the crowd. At one point, bringing a little kid onto the stage to be his hype man in one of the most adorable moments of the festival.
After that nonsense, it was time to groove with soul-fusion band, Motus, back down in Barboza. I don’t think I stopped dancing for the next hour or so as I took my dance moves out to the GIGANTIC crowd in front of the main stage. Toro y Moi was on stage embodying the feeling of the entire weekend through their set; easy, breezy, and full of vibes.
Another breezy band, All Star Opera, brought their soulful, bohemian hip-hop vibes to the Neumos stage. Their funky rhythms will make your body start dancing involuntarily. If you’re lucky, you’ll see front man Oz’s third eye open up and transport the crowd to another dimension entirely.
Down in Barboza, Joza was bringing out a bunch of guests for his performance. Including TeZATalks, who was giving the audience a glimpse into what was about to go down on the stage at Neumos later that night. At CHBP 2019, TeZA’s set was one of the most talked about and it happened to be on one of the smallest stages within the festival.
Before I made the hike back upstairs for her set, I had to catch a bit of King Youngblood’s infectious live show. If you’ve never experienced one of their performances, you haven’t lived. Just trust me on this, King Youngblood will never disappoint.
Now, coming back for CHBP 2022, TeZATalks took the stage at Neumos with a fire in her that could be felt from the front to the back of the crowd. By the end of her set, the electricity coming from the stage had surged through the audience sending shockwaves through each and every person in the room. She has a highly anticipated album coming later this fall. I believe it will be a pivotal release of their career so far.
After an overwhelming day, I walked outside and took a deep breath in. I heard Jai Wolf’s songs floating down the crowded block. It almost felt like I, myself, was floating through the air as I made my way towards the exit to hop the bus home.
CHBP 2022 Day Three: Sunday July 24, 2022
I walked into the grounds and headed towards the main stage. I was starting off the final day of CHBP 2022 with Breaks and Swells, a funky, soul, jazzy, rock band. The confetti from the night before still fluttered across the concrete as the crowd trickled in; all of which was being reflected in lead singer Marquetta Miller’s bright blue sunglasses.
Breaks and Swells breaking in the day on the Main Stage at Capitol Hill Block Party 2022 | Photo by Jim Bennett
Teon Gibbs was scheduled to start at the same time as Breaks and Swells. I’m glad it was pushed back a little bit because I wanted to be able to catch both of those sets. Thankfully I was able to see his whole set. The well-rounded artist coming to Block Party from Vancouver, BC made a big impression on me. And the singer he brought on stage with him, Makadi, his voice absolutely melted my heart.
Sunday was a much more chill day compared to Saturday. It allowed me to have some down time in between sets. After a nice intermission, I got to see Lovely Colours perform for the first time. My homie, Kevy, had put me on to them a while back. It truly was a lovely set, with infectious riffs and catchy hooks. I’d highly recommend seeing them if you get the chance.
Devin Damitio of Lovely Colours playing at Neumos for Capitol Hill Block Party 2022 | Photo by Joshua Lewis
After that, I took a few minutes to limber up and stretch. I was about to make the long, nearly impossible, journey through a packed crowd to get to the front of the Main Stage for Duckwrth’s set. I love Duckwrth and my efforts paid off because I had a killer view of his set. His dynamic performance featured a range of musical styles and a bit of humility. At one-point, he laughed at himself, pointing out how much of a bad decision it was for him to wear all black on a hot summer day. After shedding his jacket for a crisp white tank, he made love to the crowd at CHBP 2022. He even seductively slid down his mic stand to get closer to the audience.
Duckwrth performing on the Main Stage at Capitol Hill Block Party 2022 | Photo by Travis Trautt
The next set I went to switched up the vibe of my day entirely, sending me into a profoundly emotional state. Halley Greg took the stage at Barboza in her best harlot get-up. She proceeded to make me cry with her powerful voice. Even though there were some technical difficulties with her keyboard losing power, her band backed her up. Thinking on their feet, they made a last-minute switch up to the set list.
Once I came down from my emotional high, I stepped back into the sunshine for an incredibly positive and affirming set from Remi Wolf. Unfortunately, Tkay Maidza wasn’t able to procure a VISA and wasn’t able to perform her Block Party set.
To finish out my night and entire weekend, I was surrounded by friends, and a whole lot of talented artists from around the greater Seattle area. First up for my finale run was Claudine Magbag on stage at Neumos. It’s been beautiful to watch their progression over the years, and it culminated into an incredibly fun performance at this year’s festival.
I couldn’t even begin to count how many stairs I went up and down throughout my weekend, but this last portion of the weekend definitely tested the strength of my legs. After Claudine, I ran back down to Barboza for Rell Be Free who shut that shit down. His witty wordplay and unique flows whipped up the crowd into an enthusiastic ball of energy.
Rell Be Free saying sow what? on stage at Barboza for Capitol Hill Block Party 2022 | Photo by Jim Bennett
When I ran back upstairs, La Fonda had just taken the stage at Neumos. So, I snuck my way to the front row. I splashed around in their beachy surf-pop waves for a while before heading over to Vermillion to support some OG local hip-hop.
Walking into Vermillion, Silas Blak was already performing. I’ve been a fan of his for a while. But I promptly left feeling a bit discouraged as he laughed at me and made a point to apologize to the crowd with how funny he thought my enthusiasm for his music was. I understand that I may not look like your stereotypical hip-hop head, and it might have thrown him off in the moment. But, honestly, what kind of crowd did you expect to find when you’re performing at a festival being attended by thousands of people?
After that disappointing moment in Block Party history, I went back to the comfort of Neumos and Barboza. I ended the night with performances from three different amazing women. First up was LIVt on the stage at Neumos. She came through and rocked one of the best sets of the day with a sling wrapped around her right arm. She even hopped off the stage to dance with the crowd during her song, “Euphoria,” that featured a guest appearance from rapper Nobi.
LIVt on stage at Neumos for Capitol Hill Block Party 2022 | Photo by Jim Bennett
I had to cut LIVt’s set short to be able to see half of the performance from pop-singer Laureli. She had Samurai Del on the ones and twos for her. Previously, she had collaborated with him on their critically acclaimed project, From Seattle with Love. Laureli was too cool for school with her shades on in the dimly lit room and singing while leaning against a stool.
I had a quick tequila intermission before closing out the entire weekend with the soul soothing Jusmoni and her comforting voice. As I swayed from side to side, I could feel my body finally settling down after a whirlwind weekend. I started decompressing and as her set came to a close, I realized it was all over. Leaving the grounds, I hopped on scooter and reflected on the festival as I cruised my way home.
Major Takeaways from the Festival
Overall, I had a few major takeaways from Capitol Hill Block Party 2022. The first is, people need to socialize and go out around the general public. Building connections is so important for humanity, but especially within your own community. Go out, do things, and meet people! But also, observe how other people act and take note. You can learn both how not to act at a festival as well as the right way to present yourself in public.
My second takeaway was this pandemic has been extremely beneficial for a lot of these artists to hone their skills. There were many artists who I had seen previously that impressed me with how much they had grown since I last saw them.
Lastly, no matter where you go or how big the crowd is I’ll always be disappointed in the lack of respect people have at major events. The amount of garbage I saw on the ground, the amount of toilet paper all over the floor in the bathrooms, the amount of broken shit I saw, it was all truly sad to see. Even when I’m drunk, I still know how to clean up after myself. I wish more people would place emphasis on being like that. Regardless, I can’t wait to do it all over again next year.
