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Country. Yet The Who became superstars anyway, thanks to their performance at Woodstock and the release of "Tommy," the first successful rock "opera."

If AM radio didn't cotton to The Who, FM stations loved them. Songs such as "Pinball Wizard" and "See Me, Feel Me" (both from "Tommy"), "Won't Get Fooled Again," "Magic Bus," "Baba O'Riley," "Behind Blue Eyes," "Who Are You" and "Squeeze Box" became staples.

The Who's last concert here was Dec. 2, 1979, when 17,065 people turned out to see them at the Civic Arena. They expected fireworks — and they got them, literally, from a few jerkimers who lit firecrackers and tossed them high into the air.

Townshend was not amused. About half an hour into the concert, he stepped to his mike and said, "Whatever color your eyes are, whether they're blue or brown or green, you're lucky to have them. This firework thing has got to go." He then added some choice advice, which will not be repeated here, about what those who weren't lighting the firecrackers could do to the culprits — and the nonsense stopped.

That afternoon, the Steelers, en route to Super Bowl XIV, had clobbered the Bengals 37-17 at Three Rivers Stadium. "The Steelers did it again," Townshend crowed to a roar of approval, and Daltrey added jocularly, "And tomorrow night we play in Cincinnati," to a huge boo of disapproval.

No one knew that the night of Dec. 3, 1979, would be anything but light-hearted. A stampede of 7,000 fans through two doors for general admission seating at the concert in Cincinnati's Riverfront Coliseum left 11 persons trampled to death and 20 more injured.

At the time of the incident, the hall was about half-filled with patrons who had bought reserved seat tickets. Neither they nor The Who were aware of what had happened, and the concert went on as scheduled.

That won't happen here, because all the seats are reserved. But it well could have when tickets went on sale last month.

City police had to restore order at the arena when thousands of fans, several hundred of whom had camped out there overnight, began pushing and shoving to get "better" places in virtually non-existent lines.

Several people were arrested for disorderly conduct, at least two were injured slightly and a Shadyside man waiting for the doors to open was mugged at night, spraining his ankle as he fought off his attackers.

The Civic Arena advises that Tuesday's concert is a sellout, so if you don't have a ticket, don't come.

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Curtain Times

BUHL SCIENCE CENTER — Sky show "Stars of Autumn," 2, 5, 7; "Crystal Odyssey," Laserium, 3:30; "Laser Rush," Laserium, 9:15. (Tomorrow: "Stars of Autumn," 2.)

CIVIC ARENA — Ice Capades, 2, 6.

FINE LINE THEATER — "Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living in Paris," 2. (Tomorrow: Dark.)

HAZLETT THEATER — Pittsburgh Public Theater's "Tom Jones," 2, 7. (Tomorrow: Dark.)

HEINZ HALL — Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Andre Previn conducting, 2:30 p.m. (Tomorrow: Dark.)

LITTLE LAKE — "Getting Mama Married," 7:40. (Tomorrow: Dark.)

McKEESPORT LITTLE THEATER — "Company," 7:30. (Tomorrow: Dark.)

MOUNTAIN PLAYHOUSE — "Two and Two Makes Sex," 3. (Tomorrow: Dark.)

PITTSBURGH PLAYHOUSE — "Something's Afoot," 2:30, 8. (Tomorrow: Dark.)