The Who, one of the two or three best rock bands in the world, showed why Wednesday night at Memorial Coliseum.

The quartet offered up two hours of heavy music for a sell-out crowd of 11,000 enthusiastic fans.

Calling on tunes from a number of past MCA albums, the band put a decisively electric hallmark on its brand of rock music.

Guitarist Peter Townshend, basis John Entwhistle, drummer Keith Moon and singer Roger Daltrey provide a musical strength that seems to create positive feelings in the crowd, not the awesome violent feedback hardrock seems to forge.

The set was a mix of tempos, even including a soft, mellow tune that eventually erupted into a booming rocker when Moon joined in with a driving drum beat.

There was no question about the highlight of the concert. Moon introduced the group's hit rock opera, "Tommy," and the crowd reacted rather wildly.

After 30 minutes of a medley from the record-movie project, the hit tune "Pinball Wizzard" and the finale brought out a near-standing ovation from the large crowd.

The finale was an emotion all its own, as Daltrey's vocal was augmented by a powerful laser beam lightshow. Five laser machines played dozens of shimmers of green light around the arena.

"Tommy," however, was not the end of the show. The band drove right into the melodic and goodtime song "Summertime Blues" and continued with another 40 minutes of music.

The Who's stage show is frenetic much of the time with Townshend leaping into the air with ballet moves frequently and Daltrey flinging his microphone and chord like a lariat. The classic rock-strutting is part of the set as is the emotional energy each member contributes.

If there is one facet of the Who that makes it different from the other super groups, it's the musical substance.