The Who. Wow. The granddaddy of full-bore, wild rhino, thunder rock bands left a full house stunned at Veterans Memorial Auditorium Tuesday night.

They were assisted by one very fine, tasteful light show. Besides the usual spotlights, three “laser lights” positioned on stage were beamed out toward the crowd of 13,500.

Eerie Effect It was an eerie, space-age effect. Very exciting. Even the warmup band was outstanding. Toots and the Maytals, a Jamaican reggae group, played a flawless set. It was a show with class, something Des Moines doesn’t

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often see. It will be recalled, no doubt, as THE rock event for some time to come. Why was The Who so neat? Probably because they understand that rock is entertainment.

Heavy Stuff Their music was fine — the heavy but melodic stuff from which their reputation is carved — “Can’t Explain,” “Baba O’Reilly,” “I’m Free,” “Pinball Wizard.” But wonderful as the music was, the show was the thing. It was a performance. Roger Daltrey, lead singer, played his usual role of God. Pete Townshend, guitarist, was the high-camp buffoon; drummer Keith Moon, the wiseacre, and bassist John Entwistle, the straight man.

Jarring Note The only jarring note was when Entwistle’s bass amp up and quit mid-song. “That probably blacked out half the residential area,” drummer Moon quipped. After a vain attempt at playing without the bass, they walked off for 20 minutes of repairs. The laser show was introduced dramatically as Daltrey intoned the opening line from title song of the rock opera “Tommy.” “See me, feel me, touch me . . .” A red pencil beam shot outward from center stage and split into three thin beams. From stage left and right, blue-green beams raced out and splintered into dozens of delicate tracers.

Brilliant White About the time the crowd got used to that effect, a brilliant bank of white spots winked on and bathed the fans. The same laser beam effect was used during the final tune, “Won’t Get Fooled Again.” Before the concert, many questioned whether it could justify the $7.50 bite to get in. It did.