40 years ago: Sonny and Cher perform at Allen Fieldhouse

From the Lawrence Daily Journal-World for Oct. 16, 1973:

Singing and comedy duo Sonny and Cher performed at Allen Fieldhouse this past Saturday as part of the Kansas University homecoming festivities. About 15,000 fans had gathered at the venue, which was said to be the biggest crowd on record for a non-sporting event in the fieldhouse. The performers had sent word in advance that they would like a specially-built dressing room for Cher as well as a color TV set and queen-sized bed for their temporary living quarters. According to a report in today’s Journal-World, the management of Meadowbrook Apartments had “agreeably found a nice three-bedroom layout with sunken conversation pit, completely furnished” in accordance with Cher’s desires. The apartment complex staff had also agreed to provide room service for the couple and their entourage. Cher’s special dressing room ended up being an eight-by-24-foot trailer connected by ramp with the raised fieldhouse stage. A review in the Journal-World (with the headline “Who Else Performs an Hour And Departs With $45,300”) stated that the show had been mostly “a rerun of their television show for a hefty fee … their brand of pop music, some one-upsmanship on put downs a little racier than the TV censors would permit, and a feast for fans of Hollywood clothing.”