There was devastation. There was havoc, near panic in the galleries

The CCR concert at the end of January 1970 [MOJO 308] was the first concert I attended – I cajoled my parents for the tickets as my present in advance of my 14th birthday the next week, and my dad and uncle flanked me in our seats directly behind and above the stage in the second tier in the Oakland Arena. CCR didn’t turn around once to face us in back, but oh wow the crowd facing us from the floor and arena!

Besides Booker T. And The M.G.’s opening for CCR, they were preceded by Wilbert Harrison, who had his own hit on the charts in 1970 with Let’s Work Together (reworked from his own previous Let’s Stick Together) and performed as a one-man band as his encore. The local PBS television station filmed the concert as a spotlight on the amazing success of the hometown guys making it big. And my dad was blown away by Booker T. And The M.G.’s, so much so that he bought Greatest Hits for himself and enjoyed it every summer weekend afternoon while burning the chicken on the barbecue.

This concert changed my life. I never regretted my choice and I have attended many concerts and shows since – my second show was Sly And The Family Stone.

Rickle Anderson, San Jose, California