Pop Scene

For 14, the ultimate tribute — flowers, flashes

By Susan Nelson

FLOWERS and flashbulbs and screams from eternal fans were what 14 pop performers got for appearing last night in the International Amphitheater. And the nearly 3,000 fans? They got the kind of hard-driving music they wanted — plus snapshots [if their Instamatics were working] and Herman’s Hermits bracelets. And, possibly more important than these things,

someone to listen to and to idolize.

The show began with The Blues Magoos, five lads from New York. Greeted by a stroboscopic-like blast from the flash attachments, they gave out their “bag” of music—the kind that has a certain degree of philosophy [“got to live each day, one by one”] mixed in with a fantastic eye-show.

The Who, a British four-some, introduced their “mini-opera,” a tag which might surprise maxi-opera makers like Verdi.

When the Hermits came on, more than 20 ushers moved up to the edge of the stage, the popcorn man moved up and down the aisle, cameras were poised, and screams of “Peter!” began.

The crowd, tho enforcedly orderly, still managed to hurl mementos onto the stage.

After they’d sung “Mrs. Brown, You’ve Got A Lovely Daughter” and “I’m Henry The VIII, I Am,” houselights went on, and the crowd moved slowly to the exits. Inside, what remained were scores of flashbulbs and flashcubes, and bushels of unsold popcorn. After all, who could eat at a time like that?