Demand for mail-order tickets to tonight's Who concert was double the available seating at the 16,000-capacity Kemper Arena. The question arises: Why would 32,000 people want to spend $12 to see a few 35-ish men romp on a stage for two hours?

The quick answer might be rather morbid — that The Who are the infamous group that played Cincinnati the night a crowd stampeded at the entrance of Riverfront Stadium; killing 11 persons. Yes, notoriety alone could have accounted for some of those requests.

But it's not quite that simple. Those 32,000 people seeking tickets were willing to lighten their wallets because The Who — like precious few of their contemporaries — represent true rock 'n' roll to many people.

Peter Townshend, creator of most of The Who's unique bag of sounds, is a complex character. Creative beyond measure, he has written simple pop songs, thematic "rock operas" like "Tommy," scores for movies and personal treatises that discuss his absolute dedication to rock 'n' roll.

His natural musical instincts are tempered by beliefs in the teachings of mystic Meher Baba. Often, he seems a man in search of a simple truth, involved in strangely complex ways of finding it. Constantly searching, he writes words and music that often leave him vulnerable and exposed.

"Anyone can sum me up in a glance; my life is on sale," he wrote in 1977. "They say I should live 'sera, sera,' but I am such an ordinary star," he explained in the song, "Misunderstood."

His reaction to England's punk movement that began in 1975 indicates his soul-searching attitude. In the title song of the most recent Who LP, Townshend verbally confronted the members of Sex Pistols, screaming, "Who are you?"

His newest solo album, "Empty Glass," is dedicated to his two children, as well as to the Pistols. It's obvious that, in 1975, he saw in the

UP & COMING

punk rockers images of himself in the mid-1960s. In those days he was the punk, smashing guitars and other equipment in performances that audiences enjoyed as they've enjoyed few

others in rock history.

But in 1975, the establishment was The Who and their contemporaries. When he said in 1977 that he had invented punk but it had left him behind, he wasn’t kidding.

But "Empty Glass," and the fact that The Who are back on the road after Moon's death and after the Cincinnati tragedy, proves one thing: Rock doesn't end at age 35. The record displays Townshend's overwhelming guitar and synthesizer work with his dazzlingly introspective songs.

A note about tonight: In light of the Cincinnati tragedy, all ticket holders will have a seat, and all entrance doors will open at 6:30 p.m.