It has long been a custom of the Who, an English rock group, to destroy their instruments upon concluding a performance. Wednesday the instruments struck back and destroyed the Who. En route to Seattle from Oregon the van carrying them skidded on a patch of ice and crashed. Taken by ambulance to a local music store, they were all DOA.

By 10 p.m., replacements were scraped up from the Seattle area. By 10:30 p.m., the sold-out show began. It was what one experienced fan referred to as a if-this-is-Wednesday-this-must-be-Seattle kind of a show.

The famous Who were good but the famous Who were also very mechanical.

There was the early Who; there was the psychedelic Who; there was the artsy-tartsy Who. Every base from "Magic Bus" to "Tommy" their overly acclaimed rock opera was touched.

On the way, lead singer Roger Daltry was all one could ask for: handsome, powerful, with all the right moves. Peter Townshend played his usual good lead guitar, despite a hellish time with a wa-wa peddle. No one can say he doesn't write good songs. Drummer Keith Moon? He might be as good as anyone in England. Three out of three so far. And bassist John Entwhistle is good enough to have his own album out in England. Dressed in a clean pin-stripe number Wednesday, he looked a little bored.

Four very good musicians, all famous in their own right, sometimes can't produce music as exciting or as smooth as, say, two musicians.

The Small Faces and Rod Stewart are madly in love with each other 6 old drinking buddies. The Who has four stars who compete with each other.

Of course, not everybody notices. Sometimes I wonder what a big-name act has to do in Seattle not to earn the routine standing ovation.

The packed Coliseum was oppressively hot. The crowd clapped, cheered and whistled. Peter Townshend told the audience: "We love you, you're tremendous, four weeks we've been traveling all over and you're the best."

That line is roughly equivalent to the soldier on R and R in Bangkok telling his waitress that he really wants to marry her and bring her back to the States.

The Who's show, like their lines, is impeccable polished and choreographed. When Peter Townshend jumps the spots are right there. The first time it's impressive 6 just like the Who. The second time? Well, we probably won't be so concerned bout getting tickets.