It is ridiculous and a trifle condescending to comment that Woody Herman's big band won over the young crowd at Fillmore West last night.

After all, in another time Woody Herman more than once packed that same ballroom, back when people danced and heard, rather than just sat and listened.

But the peculiar combination on one bill of The Who, perhaps the world's hottest current rock group, and The Herd, undoubtedly one of the world's hottest swing bands (long since), certainly provides unusual musical contrast.

Like the whole family can go and hear their music.

Fillmore West was jammed last night, and hot and smoky, and probably will be tonight and tomorrow for the same presenta-

The Who's first set was understated, musically bright and about a half hour long. Their second appearance of the night included massive segments from "Tommy," the rock opera-on-record which this writer thinks is even better than the laudatory critique by Norman Marks which appeared here yesterday.

Guitarist Peter Townshend and drummer Keith Moon (particularly last night) showed that they have emerged as superlative artists — fine musicians by any standards. They have begun to turn inward with their expressions rather than continuing always in their former extrovert demonstrations.

The Woody Herman band is 16 strong with five trumpets and five reeds, a trio of trombones, and a solid rhythm section including Monk Montgomery on bass and a busy, full-handed pianist, John Hicks.

It took Herman's Herd about 16 bars to get warmed up; it took the young crowd about 15 minutes to realize that they were being turned-on by an old fashioned big band of young, aggressive instrumentalists.

When tenor sax Sal Nistico started blasting out big gobs of tough solo stuff, followed by trumpeter Bill Chase and another strong tenor, Frank Vicary, the whole hall stirred, then clapped, then erupted.

So conditioned are the Fillmore's audiences to heavy, obvious electronic rhythms and 12-bar blues structures that the presence of full band arrangements, split-solo segments, and indeed many "standard" instruments (even piano and saxes) leaves them baffled, at first.

But Herman spent his hour well, and received a final cheer considerably longer in duration than that given The Who, whose abruptly brief initial showing had annoyed everyone, including producer Bill Graham.