CONCERT 'TREMENDOUS'

Atlanta Knows Who's 'Who'

By Scott Cain

Members of the Who gave a tremendous performance at the Omni Monday night. In effect, the group did four encores. The audience, which endured great discomfort owing to the chaotic seating arrangement, simply would not let the band leave.

For intensity, the concert would be difficult to duplicate. The Who didn’t let up for a minute, leaping from one powerful arrangement to another. The band seemed like an army, although the four members used hardly any visual or aural supplementation.

Roger Daltrey, the singer, was like a drum major leading a parade. With his great, golden mane and his astonishing athletic vigor, he radiated a high energy level. He was unable to remain still for a moment, prowling the stage in the few moments when his voice was not in use.

Daltrey’s sheer lung capacity was used more than his vocal finesse, rock concerts being what they are, and it is a testament to his fortitude that he was still going strong at the end of a two-hour set.

Daltrey's presence was matched stunt for stunt by Peter Townshend, the Who’s legendary lead guitarist and principal songwriter. While Daltrey made maximum use of his celebrated microphone-twirling stunt, Townshend trotted out his own repertoire of antics. It is a mark of his genius that they seem as fresh as they did in the beginning of the Who’s legendary career.

Townshend took great whacks at his guitar, raising his hand far up above his head and pouncing on the strings with a fury. He has a unique set of leaps and bounds that make him a constant center of attention. One often wonders what keeps him from falling down.

John Entwistle, the bass guitarist, played straight man for the rest of the group. He remained calmly in place throughout the entirety of the show. Keith Moon, the Who’s whimsical drummer, gave as good as he got. His reputation is that of being the least reliable member of the band, but he was with the rest of the group all the way Monday.

It’s the Who’s position in rock ’n’ roll to be the quintessential rock band and yet be superior to rock music at the same time. This is an enviable position, but certainly one that is difficult to achieve and even more difficult to maintain. Whatever doubts Townshend may have entertained in advance of this tour about the Who’s retention of its audience can be put to rest. The band is unequalled at walking the fine line between the demands of rock music and the superiority of its own compositions.

Townshend's music cuts straight to the heart of rock ’n’ roll, yet his lyrics are genuinely poetic and his melodies can only be sung by very special interpreters. In fact, it is Daltrey’s place in history that he is the best singer of Townshend’s virtually unsingable songs.

The concert presented a spectrum of the Who’s output over the years. "Squeeze Box," the group’s latest hit, was done. There was wild applause when Townshend introduced another song as coming from the "Who’s Next" album. "Quadrophenia," the band’s second rock opera, was briefly represented, and a generous share of the evening was devoted to a medley of "Tommy" hits.

Daltrey was especially effective in "I’m Free," "See Me, Feel Me, Touch Me" and "Acid Queen." Moon got into the "Tommy" medley with his hilarious Uncle Ernie song, "Fiddle About."

The band trotted out a beautiful light show for the conclusion of the "Tommy" tunes. Gorgeous beams of red, blue and green zoomed across the audience from the back of the stage.

It is one of the most amazing things about rock concerts that the audience mood can shift 180 degrees at a moment’s notice. The crowd was with the Who from the beginning of the headliner’s act. Not so lucky was the opening band, Toots and the Maytalls.

The audience, frankly uncomfortable because seats were not reserved, gave the opening act a rough time, the worst in memory here. Toots and the Maytalls were not bad, actually. The singer could never quite get on key, but that is a common failing among rock singers.

Except for that, the Maytalls gave a good calypso-rock set. The audience was having none of it, however, and boos far outweighed the smattering of applause.

Even before the concert was held, people realized that the failure to have reserved seats was a mistake. Everybody is trying to pass the buck for that error, but it was too late to do Who fans any good. Many of them waited for hours before the hall was opened, hoping to grab the best seats. There was a stampede, of course, and one girl’s arm was broken.

The Omni was virtually full an hour before the show started and people can’t be blamed for getting tired.