The Ames Winter Classic came to the Maintenance Shop for the seventh time on Friday night.

The event managed to present a great show even though there were two major lineup changes. The original headlining band, Mumford’s, had to give their spot to Des Moines band Extravision. 

When Mumford’s left the lineup, Ames Winter Classic lost not only a regular, but the mastermind behind the entire event. Nate Logsdon, the group’s frontman, is the one who started the festival as a way to bring a big music event to winter.

The day of the event, the show also lost Kelli Rae Powell due to illness. 

Ryan Stier, Extravision frontman, mentioned Powell on stage. “You should check her out,” Stier said. “She’s a wonderful songwriter and person.”

The first band to take the stage was AIBU. She brought a genuine talent to the stage. Her voice really impressed the audience. She also played alongside a skilled guitarist. 

Her voice really blew me away. I probably could have listened to her sing for hours without ever getting tired of it. 

She played original songs such as an emotional number she called “Robin Williams” as well as several covers including “I See Fire” by Ed Sheeran and “Can’t Stop the Feeling” by Justin Timberlake.

She was really excited to be playing in the Maintenance Shop and at the Ames Winter Classic. 

“It’s great just to be able to play here,” Aibu said. “It’s fun to look out at all the faces. There’s so much love there.”

After a very short turn over, Exravision took the stage and totally shifted gears. While AIBU had an acoustic, coffeeshop vibe, Extravision had a chill, electronic-infused vibe.

They played songs from their album which they had worked on for three years. Each song represented the group’s distinct sound while offering something a little bit different to the overall show.

Extravision also played a couple new songs that will appear on their next album. They have not started recording the album yet. 

“These are the vibe of what our next album will be,” Stier said.

Whatever the band played, every transition was smooth whether it was between songs or within a song. There was a comprehendible track that the whole set followed

Extravision was also happy to be playing at the Ames Winter Classic. Stier placed a lot of value in playing at the Maintenance Shop.

“The Maintenance Shop is really one of my favorite venues,” Stier said. “It’s an honor to be playing here.”

Despite two major lineup changes, the mini-festival put on a great show of local music to a nearly full room. It was another solid Ames Winter Classic for the books.