At one point in The Who’s 95-minute set at Metropolitan Sports Center Sunday night—the audience of 18,000 screaming for their favorite titles—Peter Townshend leaned into the microphone and said, “What a cacophony.”

Though it was an exciting performance by one of England’s greatest rock groups, cacophony aptly describes the evening—the wretchedly reverberating sound that any musical group puts up with in Met Center as well as a house that was oversold by at least 2,000 people.

Besides the people jammed together on the floor of the center and in the seats all around, many stood in

Music Review

the aisles, or perched themselves in front of the balcony railings. A number who had already bought tickets gave up trying to get through the crowds gathered at the gates and simply went home.

According to a police officer, a number of people got in with counterfeit tickets, hence the capacity-plus crowd.

It was basically a new act that The Who performed Sunday night with much of the material coming from their new album; “My Wife,” “Bargain,” a lovely ballad sung by Roger Daltrey) called “Behind Blue Eyes” and a jumping masterful rendition of their new hit single “Won’t Get Fooled Again.” The latter with its lighting effects and mysterious feed-back work by Peter Townshend was, perhaps, the best number of the evening.

They seemed as good as ever Sunday night, particularly drummer Keith Moon with his counter-rhythms and chopping, volatile effects. It’s a band that always realized the theatricality of rock, exemplified in leader and composer Townshend’s bounding around the stage and with that omnipresent arm gesture of his that looks like he’s throwing a softball.