Fringe, silken headbands, bell-bottoms — all in kaleidoscope colors — decorated people sitting on the earth floor of Denison University Field House. They listened attentively to "The Owen B.", a rock group, but they were anxiously waiting for "The Who."

The Who, another rock group, poetically called the field house a "garbage can." The crowd leaned back to view a corrugated steel roof and metal cross beams, then applauded in agreement. The audience and performers began to get together.

The Who filled the "garbage can" with what was said to be three-and-a-half million amps, exploding from 30 speakers lined up on stage. At the same time, a group of Denison students on a three-level scaffold presented a light show by playing with the colors and images that the music evoked. The crowd of 3,500 projected themselves into the now sound.

The Who is one evening's entertainment of the Raccoon Creek Rock Festival. "The only significant thing about that name is that it was created in some dark back room," said a member of the Denison Campus Government Social Committee, the sponsor of the festival. Two more concerts will be given this weekend.

The Spirit and The Dust are playing Friday and Johnny Winter, The Dust and Lycidas will perform on Saturday.

At the transcendental level of their performance, The Who did a rock opera called Tommy Opera. It is the story of Tommy who is born a normal child.

While still a child, Tommy witnesses the murder of his uncle and becomes deaf, blind and dumb as a result. Tommy wanders around tragically, trying to find himself for a long time. (The piece lasts 30 minutes.) Finally, Tommy discovers the pinball machine and becomes a pinball wizard.

Rock music, like that produced by The Who, takes much of its content from the "masters" of blues and rock and roll. Many think it is the consummation of these styles, others think that it has totally corrupted any style.

These arguments become unimportant, however, when the music happens. Vibrations make it a now thing and the momentary experience is all-important. Sometimes a theme or melody remains in the mind, but it doesn't matter.

Rock has no claims to past or future — it is now. It is happening in a small college in Ohio. But, it is also happening everywhere.