The post-spring break limbo had hit and I was not prepared for the quarter ahead of me. Facing my last 10 weeks full of lectures, books, and discussion posts, the senioritis had spread throughout my body starting from the top of my head to the tips of my toes. 

So there I was, sitting in lecture mindlessly scrolling through my photo-dumped, ad-filled Instagram feed. Until I saw it: “Club 90s Presents: One Direction Night.” My body froze and the excitement took over. 

Now if you’re anything like me, pink-colored walls plastered with Niall Horan posters, I was in a state of nostalgic shock. I ferociously texted my friends and reeled them right in. Quickly adding the ticket to my cart, I was prepared for what would be the highlight of my quarter.

Fast forward to the night of the event, I blasted One Direction’s entire discography as I winged out my eyeliner with precision. I then scurried off into my closet attempting to find a little black dress that would fit the occasion, but simply settled for a simple blue dress and some new Doc Martens (rookie mistake). The familiar sound of my text tone went off, notifying that my friend was outside and it was time to go.

Located in the heart of Downtown San Diego, “Club 90s” takes place at the House of Blues. If you’re familiar with downtown, parking is an absolute nightmare with no sight of street parking on a lively Saturday night, so we settled for the reliant and sturdy parking structure that cost us… $40. Now utilizing the parking structures is always a last resort, but we quickly split the cost, parked the car, and ran to the venue.

We were shortly met with a line that wrapped around the block, but luckily the line went by fast and we were in! We dashed down the stairs into the main room and were met with an energetic crowd. As dramatic as it sounds, I felt at home.

Screaming the last few lines of “Diana,” we caught our breaths and said our hellos to more friends that attended. The crowd was just as lively as the busy streets outside and I was preparing for the night ahead of me. Attempting to acclimate to the environment, my friend and I quickly ran up to the bar to get some drinks and went back down the stairwell. 

As soon as we got back down to the main floor, the stereos boomed my favorite, and what I think is the best One Direction song out of their whole discography: “Nobody Compares.” I screamed my heart out and the nostalgia took over my body. Then suddenly I was transported back into my childhood bedroom, searching up “Nobody Compares lyrics” in the Youtube search bar. Snapping back into reality, we quickly befriended the very nice girls right next to us as we simultaneously sang the lyrics until the very last note. The comradery within the venue was unmatched, assuming we all lived the same life in 2014.

The DJ then switched up the tone of the crowd as he started playing “Night Changes.” This was a time for me to observe those around me and of course, see what people were wearing. I spotted familiar old tour t-shirts and inside jokes plastered across their bodies and couldn’t help but smile. 

We then said our goodbyes to the girls next to us and met up with more friends to continue dancing the night away.

Of course, it was a One Direction night, but the DJ also blasted many other songs that walked us through memory lanes, such as Taylor Swift’s “Love Story,” and even the “Hannah Montana” theme song. He then proceeded to play the boys’ solo songs which of course made an uproar within the crowd. Depending on which artist received the most applause, he would continue to play that member’s solo songs. Even before playing, there was a consensus on who would win. And that was, of course, Harry Styles. Blasting new and old songs off of Harry’s discography, we then continued back with our regularly-scheduled programming.

The crowd began to die down as time passed and pockets of space formed as people started to leave. Making our way to the front, we began requesting more iconic songs for the DJ to play. I scrambled to grab my phone to pull up the Snapchat app, capturing a plain black screen and typing the words “Rock Me” to further fulfill my desire of completing the “Take Me Home” album. Our requests were seen and executed perfectly as we continued throughout our night interacting with other fellow Directioners. Sweaty bodies continued to sway on the dance floor as our favorite songs blared through the speakers while we moved and sang in a trance.

Snapping back into reality, I checked my phone as a disheartening “1 a.m.” displayed on my screen. Catching our breaths, my friend and I made our way toward the water station to wind down the night. Contemplating my poor choice of shoes, we decided it was time to leave the dancing bodies around us. 

I took one last glance at the swarm of bodies and realized I missed the rush that came with attending events, no matter how big or small the occasion would be.

We made our way back up what felt like a never-ending flight of stairs, as we scurried back to our whopping $40 parking spot. 

Glimpsing at the flashing lights of the venue sign one last time, I knew I left with an abundance of midnight memories.

Photo by Antoine J on Unsplash