CEDAR FALLS—Flash back to Nov. 20, 1981. The Rolling Stones had paid a visit to Cedar Falls. The UNI-Dome, where they played to a sell-out crowd; the city, and the concert-goers would never be the same.

That concert by the Stones, a part of a massive, multi-million dollar tour, was the last rock event offered at the UNI-Dome, and it gave those who attended lasting memories and a standard of performance in the Dome that probably can't ever be equaled.

Admittedly, the Stones' performance would be hard to follow, but if anyone could top their concert, the band chosen to succeed them could—and would.

THAT BAND was the Who, a venerable group thought by many to be the best in rock and roll, and a band that included a stop Friday night at the Dome as a part of what has been billed their farewell tour.

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The crowd for the Friday night concert was a virtual sell-out, at more than 20,000, but try as they might, the Who couldn't work the crowd into more than an occasional burst of applause.

Singer Roger Daltrey swung his microphone like a whip, and guitarist Peter Townshend, known for his wild, frenetic movements on stage, slashed at his guitar so viciously that he constantly changed instruments throughout the concert, but the hysteria and frenzied enthusiasm that their concerts used to evoke just wasn't there.

Maybe the concert-goer of today is more sophisticated than those of the 1970's, or maybe the state of recording has become so all-encompassing that it has made concertgoing passe… whatever the reason, the excitement just wasn't there.

In fact, the glittering light show that included sophisticated, remote-control lights, and the concert T-shirts, being sold for $10, $14 and $18, received more attention from many of those who attended than did the musicians themselves.

THE WHO'S performance was not to be blamed for the lack of enthusiasm, however. Stomping his feet in his famous wide-legged stance, Daltrey seemed to put everything he had into his singing, and at one point, as he bounced and twirled around stage, he nearly threw himself into a stage monitor.

The singer, who at one time would reportedly become involved in fist fights with Townshend during studio sessions, pranced around the guitarist, moving in tandem with him, and stepping back to allow him room for his split leg leaps and turns.

Townshend also seemed to be giving the Cedar Falls audience his best. Wildly circling his arm and leaping high into the air, he made an effort to work with Daltrey and even stepped back into the dimmer areas of the stage when the singer was featured.

The band provided a fairly complete overview of their music, from the early, "Who Are You?" and the earlier "Magic Bus," to cuts from their newest album, "It's Hard," and "Eminence Front," both songs that saw a rare performance by Daltrey on guitar.

IT WAS during their most recent works—music that is punctuated with intricate rhythms and complicated lyrics and includes impressive work by bassist John Entwistle and drummer Kenney Jones—that the sound problems were most apparent.

The Dome is known for its ability to serve as an echo chamber during rock concerts, but the Stones had proven last year that most of those reverberation problems could be solved.

Whether the sound problems Friday night were the fault of the sound crew or sound system, they were apparent throughout the concert. Nearly all of Townshend's usually searing guitar solos were muddled, and microphone feedback—probably caused by Daltrey's incessant swinging of his mike—was a normal occurrence.

The Friday night concert was probably the Who's last Iowa appearance. In spite of the problems, their musical goodbye was appropriately memorable.

Deb Lorenzen

Peter Townshend, right, exhibits one of his famous leaps, with Roger Daltrey at left.

Daltrey, above, and Townshend, at right

Photos by BILL OAKES

A brilliant light show brought the audience to its feet at the Who concert.