While Iowa was beginning to face the wrath of Mother Nature Saturday night, she had no help from Cool for August as it heated up Stephens Auditorium.

Unfortunately, Cool For August, who has worked with Collective Soul, Better Than Ezra and Tonic, is not a well-known rock ‘n’ roll group.

However, after touring with Matchbox 20, receiving MTV coverage and promoting its debut CD, it’ll soon be a “Grand World” for the group.

Lead singer Gordon Vaughn’s vocals, comparable to the eccentric sound of Rush’s Geddy Lee, were no match for a venue the size of Stephens — even Hilton would challenge his immense vocal prowess as he projected each note with sheer strength and energy.

“We put our heart and soul into our music,” drummer Shane Hills said before the concert. By listening to Cool For August’s lyrics and watching the group’s amazing energy on stage — it is hard to disagree.

As Cool For August performed its hard rocking “Don’t Wanna Be Here,” “Hope I’m Wrong,” and “Wheels,” Vaughn showed off his ability to move his body to the different polyrhythms of the music, and his ability to pour his heart into the music.

Exhausting all of his energy on stage, Vaughn did something that perhaps no one has dared to do in Stephens — he jumped out into the audience and balanced his way across the divider between the “box seats” and the rest of the audience. Even as he almost lost his balance, he never missed a note.

Vaughn was not the only one who had given his all on stage. Guitarist Trevor Kustiak, bassist Andrew Shives and Hills put on performances that equaled Vaughn’s in ability, strength and energy.

These three didn’t give the beat or Vaughn a chance to lag behind as their energy level increased throughout the set. Even Hills, who had injured his hand the night before, was able to remain at the forefront and lead the group from hard rocking to mellow.

Cool For August also proved that the group isn’t just about rock ‘n’ roll when it played several mellow tunes that paralleled the sound of Matchbox 20, including “Trials,” a song played during every set and dedicated to Vaughn’s sister who died in a tragic car accident.

The group’s ability to diversify also proved to be the highlight of the performance when Vaughn sang a cover of Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car.”

As his voice drifted throughout the auditorium, he was joined by Matchbox 20’s Rob Thomas. In a high emotional state, the two performed perfectly. Not even Chapman could compete with this performance.

The most impressive aspect about the members of Cool For August is not their intense musical energy, their creativity or their over-zealous performance, but their willingness to sit back and relax with the fans after the show — something not too many bands will do.

In an interview prior to the show, Hills said, “We are the creme of the crop, and creme always rises to the top. We’ll go to the top.”

There’s no doubt that Cool For August will be finding its way to the top. Saturday night was just an indication that the group will get there faster than expected.