RALEIGH — The skies Thursday afternoon poured a constant refrain of "Rain O'er Me," but they came by the thousands anyway, dripping and laughing and windmilling their arms, happy that at last they were off to see the Wizard — "Pinball Wizard" that is.

"I mean, The Who is a legend," said 20-year-old Michelle Teague of Hickory, a student at Wake Forest University who, like many of the nearly 60,000 concertgoers, took shelter beneath the upper decks of Carter Finley Stadium as rain pelted the outdoor seats before The Who concert started.

"You've always heard really good things about them," said Teague, attending her first Who concert and the first tour by the group in seven years.

And then she said something that probably would chill Peter Townshend to the bone:

"I grew up with them," she said.

Mark Cauthen of Sanford, who was on a tour of duty in Vietnam when the rock opera "Tommy" was released by the group in 1969, talked loudly and happily to anyone who would listen about seeing The