The Who and the Grateful Dead aren't the greatest rock bands in the world. And the shows they did together at the Oakland Coliseum Saturday and Sunday weren't their best performances. Sure, and the sun doesn't rise in the east, either.

It gets down to a matter of personal preference when talking about "the world's greatest band," but for 100,000 screaming, dancing fans (who are also very sunburned today thanks to an Indian Summer weekend), the two Who—Dead concerts were a rock fantasy come true.

Both bands played small halls in San Francisco earlier in the year, leaving many more fans unable to attend the sold-out shows. Thanks to Bill Graham, there was room for all of them this time.

With only two groups on the lineup, each had ample time to work out. San Francisco's Dead played a little less than three hours, with a 15 minute break in the middle. After another hour England's Who followed with an hour and 45 minutes of music.

Other than their popularity, the bands have little in common.

The Dead approach their music slowly, building through the hours to a climax. The Who take control of the stage from the first chord, and slow the pace only on a couple of tunes.

The Dead were in excellent form. Their first set concentrated on vocal numbers, with Jerry Garcia, Bob Weir and Donna Godchaux sharing singing chores.

The second set brought back memories of the band's emergence in the acid-tinged Summer of Love (which ended exactly a decade ago), concentrating on long instrumentals and medleys. "St. Stephen" and "Not Fade Away" wove in and out of each other, followed by the gospel "If I Had My Way," the new "Franklin's Tower (Roll Away the Dew)" and "One More Saturday Night."

"This is the largest audience we've played for in a long time," Roger Daltrey commented. "It's a lot bigger than Winterland here."

"Can't Explain," the group's first hit, opened the show. "Won't Get Fooled Again" closed it. In between were nine other songs and a half hour medley from their rock opera "Tommy."

At the end the quartet stood together and took a bow. Personality conflicts have plagued the band almost since its inception, but there was no evidence here. Moon and Townshend even hugged each other and bounded backstage like playful children.

Townshend doesn't leap as high as he used to. Moon's drumming isn't as chaotic, but the Who is still the most powerful rock band in concert. With only bass and guitar backed by drums, their sound is complex and full.

Two years ago Bill Graham presented Bob Dylan and the Band together. Last year he produced the star-filled SNACK concert to raise money for the San Francisco schools' extracurricular activities. It's hard to imagine how he will top the Who-Dead shows. But he's sure to come up with something.

Tribune photo by BILL KNOWLAND

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