Did you all hear about the awesome concert Sunday at Waterworks Park in Des Moines? There were so many great bands at the park for the “Big Ass BBQ” playing their hearts out. I can’t remember a concert that good, can you?

Actually, most people probably can recall a better concert because this one never took place. The Des Moines City Council rejected the temporary liquor license for the event last week by a 3-1 vote.

By rejecting the license, promoters of the event were forced to cancel due to the lack of revenue the event would generate.

Three members of the board were absent for the vote and did make attempts to overturn the decision, but by that time it was too late.

The board members cited noise complaints they received from the “Tattoo the Earth” concert last July (headlined by Slipknot) as a reason why the license was rejected. As one of the coordinators of the event stated, the noise problem can be solved by simply pointing the stage in a different direction, away from the houses.

The members of the council obviously disagreed with that assessment on how to minimize sound. There was a major outcry of support for the concert in Des Moines, but have people in Ames even noticed?

This decision will hurt the future draw of bands to come to central Iowa. Des Moines is only 30 miles from Ames, and the city does draw some major bands.

Ames does have its own concert scene during the school year, but during the summer the scene is not exactly booming. It’s nice to know that a person only has to drive a little way to hear music not available in Ames.

The decision to cancel the concert does affect the people around the Des Moines area. The council’s actions can only be described as prescribing to an old way of thinking.

Young people don’t have an abundance of concerts this close to Ames, or even in Iowa for that matter. And now it appears there won’t be that many more if the members of the Des Moines City Council who still have issues with Elvis’ gyrating hips have their way.

What makes the decision all the more annoying is that if the entire board would’ve been present, the license would’ve been granted.

The mayor of Des Moines, Preston Daniels, is trying to work with youth groups to get great bands in the area, but how can promoters be willing to take a chance after an embarrassment like this?

The road ahead for any type of “loud” music is in jeopardy for everyone in central Iowa. Although there are those in governments that do believe these concerts give young adults an opportunity to enjoy their kind of music, there are still members who do not consider it music at all.

To hear a top name band, many people must drive to different states, so it would have been nice to shorten the trip to Des Moines to listen to some good music.

The event would have showcased bands like Monster Magnet, System of a Down, Days of the New, and Kittie, as well as many others bands who could have put on an excellent show at Waterworks Park.

People enjoy different types of music for many different reasons. And while some forms of music are louder than others, everyone still has the right to listen to the type of music they choose, loud or not.

For those people who don’t feel this is that big of a deal, promoters are already talking about whether to take the risk again after the council’s decision.

They were going to announce another major concert festival with bands like Pantera and Slayer, just to name a few, but are they most likely also “too loud” to play in Des Moines with such sound-sensitive city council members.

Would the noise really have been that unbearable by putting a group of bands together for a day? I’ve never heard of people living around football stadiums, who put up with noise and traffic multiple times a year, believing it’s so loud they should cancel a season.

It would have only been a couple times during the summer when students would relax on vacation and try to have fun, but because a few people forgot how that feels, everyone may lose.

Let us hope this one decision by the Des Moines City Council does not ruin the entire summer concert run for central Iowa.

David Frost is a sophomore in pre-journalism and mass communication from Des Moines.