The Who burst on stage like firecrackers Saturday night and transformed Pontiac Stadium into a glowing, thundering rock basilica filled with exceptional music. Illuminated by a rainbow of lighting effects and amplified by $1 million worth of sound equipment, the four enthralled a swarm of 76,000 fans for nearly two hours.

Their sampler included songs like "My Generation" and "Magic Bus" from their early "mod" era and "Dreaming from the Waist" and "Squeeze Box" off their recent "Who by Numbers" album. The backbone of their set was an eight-song, condensed version of their rock opera "Tommy."

The best effect of the evening was a rousing audio-visual blend on "See Me, Feel Me" which used laser-style beams, roving spotlights and the Who's exhilarating raw harmony to create a rock theater effect with a cast of thousands.

Before their largest solo audience in history, the Who were professionally keen, with lead singer Roger Daltrey lassoing enthusiasm with his microphone antics and guitarist Peter Townshend shuffling and leaping between windmill licks at his guitar. With the exception of an opening somersault, drummer Keith Moon was relatively subdued and the only signs of life from John (Ox) Entwistle were his constantly impeccable bass and his vocals on "My Wife."

If there is still any lingering tension between members of the band it was not obvious. Part of their unity may have come from their musical solution of providing vocal and instrumental solo showcases for Moon, Entwistle, Daltrey and Townshend.

In his sleeveless buckskins, Daltrey marched about the stage like a superstar drum major holding forth the microphone like a silver chalice and delivering the lyrics with his reaching, chafed vocal chords.