The Bugs in Quadrophenia

By John Laycock

Big ambitions can cause big problems—and the Who are nothing if not an ambitious band.

They are determined to perform Quadrophenia, their leader Peter Townshend's intricate new rock "opera". But judging from Friday night's show at Cobo Arena in Detroit, the problem is that Quadrophenia is as cumbersome on stage as it is compelling on record.

Partly the trouble is newness; the songs haven't had time to establish their identities. But partly as well, the concept itself presents obstacles. The young "mod" who's the subject here has a personality split four ways,

and even with speakers in the four corners of the hall to broadcast thematic ocean sound effects it's hard to tie it all together.

Townshend seems to realize the difficulty—he grew put off when the audience seemed restless, and felt compelled to narrate the story line. Quadrophenia is not a failure; it's too provocative and rich for that. But the Who aren't entirely sure what to do with it.

They know how to package a concert, though. Playing for better than two hours, they packed old favorites around the hour of new music.

Under the cascade of

brilliantly-handled lights the four of them drew fresh blood every time they jabbed such old reliables as Can't Explain or Don't Get Fooled Again. And incredibly, they can still find new angles for My Generation, the classic that introduced them to the United States in 1965 with their debut in Ann Arbor, and helped make Detroit their American home.

Both audience and band lived up to those expectations and if Townshend's guitar was seriously underamplified everything else carried such conviction as to cancel out the hazard.