Friday the 13th turned from scary to nostalgic at Oakland University with Y2K Night. Live music, retro outfits and vintage cameras took over Elliott Tower to commemorate the late 90s and early 2000s.
Hosted by the campus radio station, WXOU, the party included a DJ set by KARMEL, a Y2K outfit contest, cup pong tables and a live music set by The Rodri-bros.
Some students shared their thoughts on the most iconic Y2K aspects such as fashion, music and visual atmosphere.
“[The] first thing that came to mind was neon colors and ‘The Sweet Escape,’” Sydney Dochscader, a freshman, said. “That’s why I brought a Y2K tie with tech stuff I got from my dad.”
“It would definitely have to be the patterns, only patterns like cheetah print scream 2000s” Hayle Monjaras, a junior, said. “Prints were such a staple to the Y2K fashion. Also, music, what better way to remember the nostalgia of the 2000s than with the music?”
While bedazzled belts, cheetah prints, baggy pants and analog cameras were mentioned as staples of the Y2K experience, there was an almost unanimous consensus that the emblem of the late 90s and early 2000s was none other than Britney Spears.
“One of the most iconic things about the Y2K fashion is the creativity,” Monjaras said. “There [were] so many accessories, so many fun colors and patterns that were played with, people expressed themselves in so many different ways.”
After attendees grabbed refreshments, the Rodri-bros started their live music set, led in vocals by Andrew Deacon, WXOU event coordinator. A cover of Bowling for Soup’s “1985” was the opening song for the band that also played retro hits like “All Star” and “Stacy’s Mom.” “Beverly Hills” by Weezer was also revamped to have the crowd instead chant “Rochester Hills” during the iconic chorus.
“My favorite song ever is ‘Stacy’s Mom,’ it was probably the song that inspired this whole set, if not this whole event,” Deacon said. “Something I never liked or thought I’d really get into before was ‘Beverly Hills’ — I wasn’t a big Weezer guy until today.”
Students also reflected on the fascination with retro experiences.
“I would say that the music and nostalgia are some of the reasons why we like the 2000s,” Monjaras said. “It was a time when everything was in its prime of commencement. Classics like Lady Gaga, the reminiscence of our childhood, it all seemed simpler and more colorful.”
“When we were growing up, it was what we were seeing as kids,” Deacon said. “The Wii’s and DS’s — all the game consoles back then — the technology, the music, that’s what was on the radio and TV when we were growing up.”
“It’s the same way our parents were obsessed with the 70s and the 80s, it’s the love for what was around when we were younger,” Deacon said.
As the party concluded, students also expressed an interest in seeing similar thematic events centered around the 80s and the 90s on OU’s campus in the future.
For information about upcoming events, visit WXOU’s Instagram and GrizzOrgs.
