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From its epic "Tommy" to a series of concise, powerful singles ("My Generation," "Won't Get Fooled Again"), the Who not only has produced one of the most impressive and influential bodies of work in rock, but also has been one of the few bands to truly touch a sociological nerve in its audience.

The Who, too, has helped shape the visual model for many of today's rock bands. The series of colorful, sometimes conflicting images began with Roger Daltrey's strutting, stallion-like poses as he fronted the band vocally, twirling the microphone over his head as if it were a giant lariat. The flash continued with Peter Townshend leaping into the air or twisting his arm in huge, windmill swipes at the guitar, Keith Moon's frantic, highly animated drum work and John Entwistle's taut, stone-faced bass playing.

Even though the sound definition is often minimal and the visual impact is all but eliminated in an outdoor rock setting, to see the Who, under any circumstances, is to come into contact with rock history. Appropriately, then, the Who's set Sunday was designed to celebrate its own history and tradition.

The band's short (90 minutes) performance relied almost exclusively on its past, startingsymbolicallywith the tune that was its first U.S. single in 1965, "I Can't Explain." It followed, not in this order, with "My Generation" (1965), "Substitute" (1966), "Magic Bus" (1968), Eddie Cochran's old "Summertime Blues," a half-hour chunk of "Tommy" (1969) and three songs from the "Who's Next" album (1971). Only two tunes from its current "The Who by Numbers" album ("Squeeze Box" and "Dreaming From the Waist") represented post-1971 material.

Though the limitations of the outdoor setting make a precise comparison difficult, the Who put on a firmer, more convincing performance than in its somewhat stale, mechanical effort in 1973 at the Inglewood Forum, its last visit here.

The concert highlight, emotionally, was clearly "Tommy." As the band went into the "See Me, Feel Me, Touch Me" refrain, thousands in the darkened stadium lit matches in salute to the band. Though the match tribute has become something of a concert fixture in rock, the vast outdoor setting and search/salvation theme of "Tommy" combined to give it renewed effectiveness.

By adding another half hour of familiar material ("I Can See for Miles," "Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere," "The Real Me"), the Who could have showcased its achievements with even more authority and splendor. The unresolved question, however, is whether the band could have enhanced its position by adding a half hour of new material.

As with the Stones, there is a debate in rock circles (and, by most accounts, within the band) about the future of the Who. Since the group has been including more new songs on its indoor stops and because the indoor setting will provide easier assessment, the Who's concerts this weekend at Winterland in San Francisco should offer more indication of its current (and future) condition.

But, it should be underscored, the Wholike the Stonescontinues to be measured more against its own achievements than against its 1976 competitors. One of the weaknesses with rock in the 1970s, in fact, is that no band has arrived with both the artistic vision and popular appeal to challenge the best of the 1960s bands.

Besides, the issue of new versus old material wasn't one that many seemed to be raising Sunday at Anaheim. The concert may not have answered the question "What's Next" with the Who, but the band offered a satisfying glimpse of its legacy to rock. The group is expected to return this summer on the third leg of its U.S. tour.