On Monday, Bruin Bash turned back time.
As students funneled their way into the gates of the Los Angeles Tennis Center, excited chatter and digicam flashes set the stage for Bruin Bash — UCLA’s annual concert held by the UCLA Campus Events Commission and Cultural Affairs Commission. This year, Bruin Bash’s 2016 theme matched the carefree, buzzing energy of the crowd as concertgoers made their way to the floor, wading through students clad in plastic striped glasses, flower crowns, mustache-shaped temporary tattoos and a sea of pink and turquoise.
“I’m excited for the 2016 vibes that are gonna happen,” second-year education student Sofia Roygoza said, donning matching striped glasses with her friends. “I’m excited to time travel.”
Student DJs Ziane, Teejay and DJ Simbi set the tone for the event with a 2010s-inspired set, getting the crowd swaying and jumping to hits such as Zedd’s “Clarity” and Zay Hilfigerrr’s “Juju on That Beat.” At around 8:30 p.m., Nebula Star took the stage to round out this year’s DJ lineup. The booming bass traveled through the floor and into the audience with each beat of the speakers, making for a transcendent experience. For second-year mechanical engineering student Luna Camila Gonzalez, it’s the energy of the event that drew her to the floor.
“I’m excited for the ambiance,” Gonzalez said. “Really, I don’t know the artists, but I love anything with good energy. My people have good energy, and the floor has good energy.”
Energy was definitely brought by the first opener, Kid Ink. In a spitfire red jacket, Kid Ink rocked the stage to his hits from more than 10 years ago including “Be Real” and “Show Me,” each with a distinctively 2010s spirit that can be felt in their underlying tracks. Along with his set, there were intermittent blaring sirens and ear-splitting crashes meant to rile up the crowd.
The next opener, KYLE, took to the stage following a brief interlude after Kid Ink’s set. KYLE’s performance of “Don’t Wanna Fall in Love” showcased his vocal ability with melodies and riffs beyond just his affinity towards rap, followed by “Hey Julie!” and “Playinwitme.” Towards the end of his set, KYLE connected to the audience by acknowledging his roots in Los Angeles and urging people to sing along before launching into his hit 2016 song, “iSpy,” which got the stadium jumping on their feet.
KYLE and Kid Ink left the audience buzzing with excitement and optimism. Glancing around at my surroundings, I was met with a completely packed bowl — in true 2016 fashion, we were all anticipating what was yet to come. When 2010s anthems “We Are Young” and “Titanium” played between sets, the collective energy of the stadium was unmatched as we all chanted to our childhood anthems, together as one.
“Everybody was just more joyful back then,” Gonzalez said. “Maybe because we were kids, but 2016 really made us excited about the smallest things.”
After a short wait between sets, the main event that the audience had been waiting for was finally here — headliner Swae Lee in the flesh. Swae Lee opened with “No Type” from him and his brother’s duo Rae Sremmurd, followed by the catchy “Come Get Her” with the letters “UCLA” cleverly incorporated into many of his lyrics. His introduction of “Sunflower” was met with amassed enthusiasm from the night after Swae Lee’s declaration of the audience as his sunflowers, bringing feel-good energy to the crowd. The song was followed immediately by the hit 2018 song “Close To Me,” which energized the audience further. As another nod to 2016, Swae Lee held a quick mannequin challenge before closing off his set, and Bruin Bash, with “Black Beatles.”
“Ten years from now … we did that,” Swae Lee said. “But while we’re together, UCLA, let’s make this sh— unforgettable.”
