Steppenwolf - OU Convocation Center 1971
This was Siblings Weekend, or something, at OU. My sister asked me if I wanted to come & if so, did I want to see a concert. I was a big Steppenwolf fan, I had even read the book! I think I was vaguely aware of the name Edwin Starr, of course I knew his recording of the Bruce Springsteen song, War. Steel River? No clue. Don't think my sister thought much of Steppenwolf. Seats seemed to be a million miles from the stage. I had never been to an arena show before. Never been to an arena that doubled as a dorm either. Haven't been to one since, for that matter.
I had never really experienced college dorm life either, still being in jr high. The idea of a bunch of young people having free reign over a residential building was like heaven. Nowadays it just seems like a good reason to keep everybody under 24 in prison, manacled & with black canvas hoods over their heads.
I was introduced to something called cable TV that weekend, too.
Anyway, it was fun & extremely exciting for a kid. One thing especially intriguing was the antiwar message of Steppenwolf & Starr on a campus that had, less than a year earlier, erupted in rioting.

At this concert, the police were be-bopping to the music in their bright yellow slickers. If they knew what these kids kids were going to be like....