Whoeverhampton honoured The Who with two hours worship at the Civic Hall on the second night of their tour of the country last night.

Well, Wolverhampton was the base at least, for an audience which ranged from far and wide. Cockney and northern accents mingled in the queues outside, along with the voices of people from all over the Midlands, all there to see the band which has become an institution over the years.

And from the moment The Who came on stage the full house was cheering and shouting, standing in the gangways for the whole of the concert and generally encouraging the band to greater things.

The music ranged from tremendous to uncomfortable, but the reception was the same throughout — near ecstasy.

RUSTY

The Who weren’t the same highly-drilled outfit which played at the Civic some two or three years ago. They were a little rusty and at times it showed. But they really came into their stride during a recitation from their new album Quadrophenia.

They had tapes to augment their own music with sound effects and the occasional piano or strings. Keith Moon had to use earphones to keep the whole thing together.

He did the job excellently and the set flowered into a thing of tremendous power, music that The Who have made their own over the years.

Moon’s drumming and John Entwhistle’s incredible bass were still things to gasp at, while Roger Daltrey was singing as strongly as ever.

Oddly enough it seemed to me that Pete Townshend was finding things hardest, but when he did get going then the ‘orrible ‘oo might never have been away.