There were no protests outside Hilton Coliseum, but politics were certainly in the air.

Near the door to the stadium where Dave Matthews would soon take the stage in an effort to rally the masses against President Bush, men and women of the liberal persuasion handed out fliers and registered people to vote. The concert itself, a benefit called “Vote for Change,” pledged to give money to those who would aid Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry in his bid for the White House.

Farther away from the door, politics didn’t matter as much. For some — waiting in the far lots drinking beer and laughing with friends — the battle between left and right was the furthest thing from their minds.

Between Ryan Brown, sophomore in health and human performance, and Parker Terrell, of Des Moines, there is a small sense of the division that has come over the country. Brown is a Kerry supporter. He came back to his hometown from Texas, to see the show, and he supports the cause it champions.

“Unfortunately, I’m stuck in Dallas with a bunch of Bush freaks,” he said.

Brown and Terrell are friends, but they don’t talk about politics. Terrell supports the president, and they both know that if the subject comes up, emotions will run high.

“I can’t change his mind, and he can’t change mine,” Brown said.

When Brown asked Terrell to come with him and some other friends to the concert, Terrell agreed, not knowing what the concert supported.

“I think it sucks,” he said. “I wouldn’t have come for free if I’d known. I couldn’t drive my Jeep up here because it’s got a Bush sticker on it. It probably would have been vandalized.”

There is more political activity through the tunnel, near Hilton’s entrance. As concert-goers walk across the street, they are met by a trio handing out fliers for a screening of “Going Upriver,” a film touting itself to be about “the long war of John Kerry.”

Erica Carnes, senior in political science, is one of the three. She stands at the crossroads with a smile and a shirt that says, “The only Bush I trust is my own.” She said the reaction she’d gotten from those who had crossed her path had been overwhelmingly positive.

“It’s more politically charged than most concerts,” she said. “Most people are very happy — excited to be going to the show and excited to be in an atmosphere that’s anti-Bush.”

Behind her, the streets and the steps are covered in discarded fliers like the ones she’s handing out.

Tara van Brederode hands out leaflets advocating Paul Johnson, a Democrat who is seeking election to the U.S. House of Representatives.

America Coming Together — a left-leaning political action group — is there in force, naturally. Bo Berntsen, communications director for the group’s Iowa chapter, said he was satisfied with the response his canvassers had received. He and 30 others had been working the crowd, he said, registering people and signing them up for absentee ballots. But even he couldn’t say for sure whether the crowd came to support the cause or just for the music.

“I haven’t been able to tell yet,” he said.

“We’re hoping the musicians and artists will be highly aware of the election and the concert-goers will follow their lead.”

ACT is working to get Bush voted out, and the more potential voters Berntsen and his volunteers talk to, the better chance there is of that happening, he said.

“We believe the country is going in the wrong direction,” Berntsen said. “We believe there needs to be a change, from the state house all the way to the White House. And we’re encouraging people to vote more progressively.”

Whatever the level of politics in the air, the conservative viewpoint was absent through the night. Louis Kishkunas, president of the ISU College Republicans, said he and his group had decided to pass on the event.

“This concert is against us and our viewpoints,” he said. “I don’t see why we should set up a booth and look like we’re supporting a concert that goes against our ideas.”

For Kishkunas, combining politics and rock concerts isn’t a good idea.

“I think when you take politics and bring it down to the level of a rock concert, you take away the politics,” he said. “This is a rock tour that, when you read the fine print, is political.”