Cobra Starship, Girl Talk, Victoria’s Secret team up to benefit Middle Way House

A celebration of cream, crimson and PINK dominated Dunn Meadow on Thursday.

DJ Girl Talk, top-40 artists Cobra Starship and local band Dot Dot Dot drew hundreds of fans to the Victoria’s Secret PINK Nation B-Town Bash, hosted by model Behati Prinsloo and MTV reality star Whitney Port.

A steel, pink stage, nearly as tall as the Indiana Memorial Union, broadcasted “PINK Hearts IU” in glittering letters from attached video screens. As 5 p.m. neared, lines of colorfully attired attendees stretched down Seventh Street and filled the back stairways of the Union.

Prinsloo, a Victoria’s Secret PINK spokesmodel, giggled as her image flashed across one of the big screens.

“It’s weird,” she said before the show started. “I guess I’m used to it, though. Sometimes it gets a little crazy, but it’s cool.”

Prinsloo, wearing Victoria’s Secret PINK gear and Target rain boots, said she arrived in Indianapolis a few hours before the event.

“The campus here is beautiful, the colors especially,” she said. “IU is my favorite school that I’ve visited.”

As Prinsloo posed for pictures with fans, games such as “Fire in the Hole” and cornhole offered entertainment around Dunn Meadow. A “Hope Wall” displayed Sharpie-scrawled wishes like “End this war,” “Lifelong happiness” and “For my ex to get punched in an undesirable place.”

A Victoria’s Secret pop-up shop attracted women interested in the brand’s IU apparel.
Sophomore Tabitha Atwood waited in line for almost two hours to purchase a Victoria’s Secret stuffed dog.

“They’re only selling two, and I’ve always wanted one,” she said, after spending $80 to secure the pooch. “I skipped class to come out tonight. Everything’s amazing.”

Midway through the event, as crowd members pulled out their umbrellas and ponchos distributed by WIUX, “The City” star Port appeared on a golf cart and was ambushed by screaming fans.

“I reached out and shook her hand as she was driving away, then started crying,” sophomore Julie Jarasek said. “When I found out Whitney was coming, I literally had a panic attack. She’s my idol.”

After Cobra Starship induced a large-scale sing-a-long with their hit single, “Good Girls Go Bad,” Girl Talk took the stage and invited crowd members to join him.

“Those who persisted and stayed close to the stage fence were able to dance for everyone,” said sophomore Hannah Kinkead, director of the Union Board Public Relations committee.

As crowd energy increased and Girl Talk’s mash-up beats neared sound climax, the DJ jumped atop his sound equipment and screamed, “IU, come on now!”

Freshman Brandi Chang, Union Board public relations committee member, said the evening was a party for all involved. The Union Board was in charge of setting up and running part of the event, along with the collaborative efforts of WIUX.

“We just found out about things recently, and it was stressful at first,” she said. “Everything came together and it was an amazing turnout.”