For the hundreds of students who attended StanFest on Saturday, Sept. 19, the flashbacks from the early 2000s weren’t as awkward and cringe-worthy as one would predict.
This year, StanFest had a set theme: a “#Throwback” concert that promised a night of fun, entertainment, great music and most of all, memories. 
The concert was hosted by local radio station KHOP, and with the amazing line up of What Eats Hydra, Secondhand Serenade and 3OH!3, the night was a shoo-in for success.
A local band, What Eats Hydra, opened the StanFest concert this year.
The crowd greeted them with open arms and excitement to get the night rolling, and the band handed out free copies of their CD to students.
As the opening act, the band was responsible for pumping the audience up. They accomplished this by performing original songs like “Sins” and “Teeth,” but also covered songs such as “Sugar We’re Going Down,” originally released by Fall Out Boy.
Throughout the set, long-time fans of the band sang along to every word and others in the crowd blossomed into new supporters.
The night took a calmer but pleasant turn when Secondhand Serenade, well, serenaded his audience with an acoustic performance.
With only a five string guitar, Secondhand Serenade had to rely on raw talent and passion to please the eager audience.
John Vesely, the lead vocalist, pianist and guitarist of Secondhand Serenade didn’t disappoint the crowd. He played fan favorites “Fall For You” and “Awake,” but also incorporated requests from Associated Students Inc. (ASI) & University Student Union (USU) members and interacted with the audience.
Secondhand Serenade also provided a flashback by covering songs like “Fix You” by Coldplay, released in 2005, and Enrique Iglesias’ “Hero,” a treasure from 2001.
The crowd remained silent for most of his performance, truly taking in the lyrics and passion he was showing on stage.
Vesely even stopped and cried after a song, and although fake and done for comedy effect, it seemed real and went perfectly with the mood.
After Secondhand Serenade, everyone was waiting for the main event: 3OH!3. 
From the second Sean Foreman and Nathaniel Motte of 3OH!3 stepped foot on stage, the night skyrocketed with fun.
3OH!3 performed all of their popular hits, including “Starstrukk” and “My First Kiss.” They also provided the Stan State audience with a spiritual cover of “I Believe I Can Fly,” which was originally released by R. Kelly in 1998.
3OH!3 made the crowd wait for their most popular single. “Don’t Trust Me” was the group’s first successful hit that climbed to number seven on the Billboard Hot 100 back in 2008. The song wasn’t performed until the band was lured back on stage to shouts of “3OH!3! 3OH!3!” from the audience. The encore didn’t disappoint.
You could feel the energy shaking the arena during 3OH!3’s entire performance, and the band had everyone on their feet for the entire show. At one point, Motte jumped down to the audience and sang as he partied alongside everyone on the floor of the arena.
Not everyone can say they’ve danced alongside Nathaniel Motte, and it is surely a memory that will be remembered by attendees of the concert.
As the concert came to end, everyone left the arena drenched in sweat. The sound of laughter and cheer was heard outside the arena, both pleasant sounds the performers and ASI coordinators love to hear after an event like StanFest. 
StanFest took us back in time for a night none of us will soon forget.