Through its schedule of events and by luring big-name performers, the Veishea entertainment committee took a step forward in achieving the overall goal of limiting last weekend’s celebration to the Cyclone Family and keeping students out of trouble.

Coordinators say the plan worked, helping Veishea become the success the Iowa State community had hoped it would be.

Corey Moss, music coordinator for the Veishea entertainment committee, said the entertainment plans for Veishea were a hit.

“It showed the university that if you provide good entertainment, it’s going to pull people off the streets,” he said.

The entertainment for Friday and Saturday nights, Dew the Rec and Rock Veishea, attracted thousands of viewers.

“We pulled in just over 3,000 Friday night and around 5,000 Saturday night,” Moss said. “We’re pretty happy with these numbers.”

The bands at Rock Veishea said they enjoyed playing at Hilton, according to Moss.

Taking the stage Saturday night were Tonic, The Crystal Method, The Flaming Lips Experiment and local band 35″ Mudder.

Brett Showalter, entertainment co-chairman for the Veishea committee, said some members of the crowd reacted poorly to The Flaming Lips Experiment.

“[Rock Veishea] was a pretty wide range of bands, and we knew everybody wouldn’t like all of them.

“We tried to bring in a variety of bands, and it just didn’t go over well,” Showalter said. “I can’t blame people’s reactions, but it’s disappointing that more people didn’t like [The Flaming Lips Experiment].”

Moss said he felt the audience’s response was rude.

“It was probably too artsy to work in a coliseum,” he said. “I know we did a lot of research with The Flaming Lips Experiment because we knew it would be so different and hadn’t once read anything negative about it.”

Moss said the band was unable to capture the surround sound effect in Hilton Coliseum without sitting in the middle of the floor section.

The show originally was planned for the Lied Recreation Center, which would have been more conducive to the stereo sound effect, Moss said.

“In a bar or club [where they usually play], you are always in the middle of the stereo sound,” he said.

The parquet section, from which most complaints originated, likely experienced the biggest lack of sound quality, Moss said.

He added that sounds from boom-boxes on stage did not mesh for the desired effect as it would have in a smaller venue.

Moss said some audience members located in the center of the floor section were entertained by the group.

“It was an experiment, and whether it failed or not I don’t know,” he said.

Scott DeSotel, entertainment co-chairman for the Veishea committee, said although he was unable to speak with The Flaming Lips Experiment following the show, the other three bands at Rock Veishea thought the show was a success.

DeSotel, Showalter and Moss agreed that the rest of the music festival went smoothly.

“Tonic was really impressed with the turnout and the excitement [at Rock Veishea],” Moss said. “They had a hard time believing [the audience] was just Iowa State students and alumni.”

Because of the variety of bands at Rock Veishea, many spectators either arrived late or left early to view just one of the bands.

“That’s what we intended,” Moss said. “It’s unrealistic for people to be fans of both [Tonic and The Crystal Method].”

Moss also said Dew the Rec was a successful event.

“Kevin Nealon loved the rec,” Moss said. “He thought it was fun and exciting.”

“We thought the rec center went well,” DeSotel said.

“We just about hit our attendance goal,” he said, adding that high attendance is instrumental to a revamped event.

In the past, the rec has been the venue for Rock da Rec, which was more of a dance party with live music.

DeSotel said other entertainment events the week before and during the weekend of Veishea were successful as well.

“We were pretty optimistic with how things went with the ice cream social, the barbecue and other events,” DeSotel said. “We were pretty optimistic going into the weekend.”

Taste of Veishea also received a positive response, Showalter said.

“It was pretty packed the whole weekend,” he said. “The vendors were happy.”

Moss said the most important thing about the weekend’s entertainment was the financial support from the university.

“This year was a test to see if good entertainment would work, and it did,” Moss said.

“If the university is going to continue supporting Veishea entertainment, it’s only going to get better,” he said.

Moss said with more time and similar financial backing, next year’s Veishea entertainment will be twice what it was this year.

“We just want to continue to build off these events,” Showalter said.

He said he plans to work until the next Veishea to bring in better entertainment and make next year an even bigger success.