The Veishea entertainment committee announced last week that this year’s event will be without the expensive, big-name concert of past years. No more Vertical Horizon. No more Black-Eyed Peas. And no more Goo Goo Dolls. Instead, this year’s Veishea entertainment will be from a variety of performers, smaller bands that will cover far wider genres than any single band could.

The Taste Stage on Welch Avenue will host concerts for free, and there is a Central Campus concert that will cost about $5 to attend. Both concerts will provide a plethora of musical tastes, and organizers say bands of all types and styles of music will be performing.

The decision made by Veishea organizers is a good one. In no way can one band appeal to a large group of students. If you don’t believe this, check the attendance at the last two major Veishea concerts. They were both less than what was expected. Both Vertical Horizon and Black-Eyed Peas alienated a lot of people who did not enjoy there specific genres of music.

Let’s be serious; it would be great if Veishea organizers could bring a large, popular band like U2 to Ames for Veishea weekend. But that’s just not going to happen. While the committee in the past has spent from $30,000 to $40,000 on the Veishea concert – which still isn’t enough for a lot of bigger bands – this year they are planning to spend only $10,000 to $15,000. Let’s hope the rest of the money is used to make Veishea that much better.

It is a blessing in disguise that a major band could not be booked for this year’s Veishea. This now gives local bands and smaller bands the opportunity to play to a diverse audience at Iowa State. The more variety, the more students will come out and see the bands.

Ames also has plenty of local bands. This was evident by last year’s Battle of the Bands, which had about as many in attendance as the Vertical Horizon show, and showcased many talented local acts that ISU students normally may not go see at area clubs and venues. This new system will give these bands even more exposure to the ISU audience, which is effectively what Veishea is all about – local control and student participation.

There is no official word yet as to who the bands will be for this year’s Veishea, but it’s a sure bet that, out of the bands being brought in, a majority of ISU students will find at least one to their liking.

This decision by the Veishea organizers was probably not an easy one. Everyone looks forward year after year to the announcement of who the Veishea band will be. The last couple of years, a lot of people have been disappointed with that announcement. Opening the stages to smaller bands from all walks of music is a good way to please people with wide ranges of musical tastes. More students will stick around and see a cheap – and sometimes free – concert. And that for Veishea – which has been consistently plagued by a lack of student participation – helps.

editorialboard: Andrea Hauser, Tim Paluch, Michelle Kann, Charlie Weaver, Omar Tesdell