MUSIC

The Who Makes It Real

THERE IS NO guarantee that The Who will perform its new rock opera, "Tommy," in its entirety tonight and tomorrow night when it returns to the Kinetic playground. But the group did it last night, and it is something to behold. It comes off even better on stage than on record, and it capped off one of the best shows at the playground, or anywhere, in a long time.

It is hard to see The Who live without being convinced that it is one of the best, if not the best, of the rock groups around. The performers do very little improvising, very little toying around on stage. They perfect what they have created. They make it come alive.

At the beginning of their set they did some of their earlier records — "Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere," "I Can't Explain" — and then, because "not enough of you – – – – showed up" [which wasn't at all true, but was mostly an excuse], they decided to combine their two shows and do the 90-minute opera, minus a few parts they didn't think worked out on record [among which was an overly long overture].

Everything about their performance was remarkable. Peter Townshend, lead guitarist and the group's writer, had better control of his guitar than almost any other performer we've seen. He jumped to his knees, brought the guitar close to him, pushed it away from him, not for effect, but to get sound out of it. To get feeling out of it.

Similarly, lead singer Roger Daltrey struggled with the microphone, screamed at it. Drummer Keith Moon and bass guitarist John Entwistle — all of them. They had remarkable control. And remarkable knowledge of what they were doing at every second.

"Tommy" is another story in itself. It is about a deaf, mute, and blind child who lives in an electric experience, and tries to share his experience with the masses, who refuse it. That is, of course, a vast oversimplification. The feeling and the sounds created by the opera must be learned first hand.

Also on the bill at the playground were Joe Cocker ["With a Little Help from my Friends"] and Buddy Rich— Buddy Rich? At the playground? Well, not only was he there, but he got two much deserved standing ovations.

Both came at the end of his set, during and after a drum solo in a "West Side Story" medley, and they proved that anyone, even an old-timer with a large orchestra [the members of which were in coats and ties] with a brassy big-band sound, can make it with the young if he's good. And Rich was.

The medley, which closed Rich's act, began with the overture, moved into "Somewhere" [played by his trombonist], and then into "Something's Coming," which included Rich's drum solo. The solo was interrupted four times by ovations. And it made the solo in the Cream's "Toad" seem almost like a beginner's exercise.

Joe Cocker opened the evening's bill with mostly old songs done in a new way—a rock "Dear Landlord," Ray Charles' "Let's Get Stoned," his slowed up, souled version of the Beatles' "With a Little Help from My Friends." He, too, was good, tho his prowess with a song seemed somewhat diminished by the time Rich and The Who had done their sets. He puts a lot into a song, and, like The Who, comes off much better live than on record.

The same bill continues tonight and tomorrow night. Sunday night only Joe Cocker remains, and he's joined by a group called Soup.

Before The Who went into "Tommy" they said those who wanted to come back and hear it in its entirety again should not tell their friends because if too many people showed up there would have to be two shows, and thus not enough time for the opera. Sorry, but we just couldn't quiet.

Lew Harris