Between 2,000 and 3,000 fans, some from as far away as London and Bristol, saw The Who perform their pop opera “Tommy” in a third-time-lucky concert at Trentham Gardens last night.

It was the biggest indoor pop event in North Staffordshire since The Rolling Stones appeared at Trentham five years ago.

The group performed under flashing coloured lights against a solid wall of electronic sound equipment which hurled the music to every corner of the vast ballroom. A team of 25 light and sound technicians controlled £15,000 worth of gear.

Early in the concert, Pete Townshend, the guitarist and composer who is considered “the brains” of the outfit, apologised for the last-minute cancellation of the concert on October 16th.

Earlier, lead singer Roger Daltrey recalled how a Who concert at Trentham Gardens several years ago was called off because although the group turned up, their equipment did not.

Sensational

Last night, both group and equipment were there — and the combination was sensational. The crowd roared as The Who broke into their hits “I Can’t Explain,” “Pinball Wizard” and “My Generation.”

Musically, the concert showed how The Who have developed from the rough-and-ready “mod” band of the early 1960s to become one of the world’s finest rock groups. Not long ago they were performing on the stage of the New York Metropolitan Opera House—a rare honour for any pop group.

It showed also how fans have changed since the days of “Beatlemania” when emotion counted more than musical appreciation and the music was inaudible above the screaming.

There were no screams last night — the audience sat in silence while the group played, cheering and applauding after each number.

When The Who finished their last song and left the stage, the fans stomped and roared for more—but there was no encore.

Although the police and members of Trentham Gardens’ own security force of uniformed guards and Alsatian dogs were on hand, there were no reports of any kind of trouble.