In the past, Ames and Iowa State have enjoyed performances at Hilton Coliseum by famous performers such as Aerosmith, Prince, REM, Smashing Pumpkins, Bush, Metallica and Kiss.

With such high-profile performances, ISU is obviously high on the list when stars in the music industry decide where to perform.

So what is it about ISU and Hilton that makes the stars want to come and strut their stuff?

There are numerous reasons, said Mark Miller, director of contemporary programming for Hilton.

“What it is, is a long process of relationship building,” said Miller. “Each of the bands sits down with their management and production people, pick buildings and route out a tour. They like Hilton because they are happy with the staff, production and the history of past performances.”

Publicity also helps, he said.

“The relationship with the promoters and the artists is a big thing,” Miller said. “If everything goes smoothly, word goes around.”

But above all, he said, there is no denying that the fans are a large part of the reason why Ames is so popular with performing artists.

“Again, a lot of it has to do with relationship and reputation,” Miller said. “The fans have to like coming back. The reason we get a lot of artists such as Matchbox 20 and Aerosmith is because they want to play college markets. And nowadays, artists are starting to draw even younger audiences.”

Miller added that ISU has also been named number two for venue in the nation.

And Hilton’s reputation is still growing. The coliseum has a capacity of about 14,500, depending on size and the placement of the stage, and most of the time that capacity is completely filled.

“Metallica, Kiss, Garth Brooks, Neil Diamond, Aerosmith and Elton John were all sellouts,” Miller said.

Garth Brooks topped all the performers in attendance with a total of 43,000 people for his three-day concert.

“I’d have to say that the largest show was the Garth Brooks concert, ” he said

The selection process relies on both sides, Miller said.

“We get calls from promoters, and we go out and call them. We’ll communicate with them, and start the process of doing a deal,” he said.

So where does all the money go?

“All concerts go through Ticketmaster,” Miller said. “And typically, the money from the ticket sales all goes into an account that takes care of expenses such as royalty rates, insurance, et cetera. The majority of the money goes to the specific act, and the rest goes to pay for the various expenses.”

Whatever money that’s left over after paying expenses, goes to the promoter, Miller said.

Amazingly enough, in spite of the scope of the concerts and the crowds they tend to draw, security has never been a problem, Miller said.

“We work with the Ames Police, [Department of Public Safety], and paramedics from Mary Greeley Hospital to ensure the safety of the fans and the performers,” he said.

In addition to community-provided security, Miller said most of the acts have their own security personnel. Those that don’t, are provided security on a per house standard, depending on each act. If extra security is needed, Miller said employees of ISU Center are hired as guards.

“There is not typically any damage either, that you would expect with large crowds,” he added. “You might get a broken chair once in a while, but on the whole, we have a pretty good fan base.”

The concerts are almost always a large success, Miller said, and they also benefit the Ames community as a whole.

“A lot of it benefits Ames on the diversity of the shows brought in, benefits Ames from an economic standpoint, is a good attraction for new students, draws in attention and more people into the town, and also shows more awareness,” he said.

“Basically, they provide for a lot of diversity around the community, and adds to the overall diversity of the campus,” Miller said.