Sharon Morgan (left) and Karen Mitchell, both of Atlantic City, cheer as The Who takes the stage.

The Who’s Here

By Michael Vitez

Inquirer Staff Writer

Jim Griggs figures he "was probably a fetus" when The Who played at Woodstock in 1969. Dave Raynor remembers being terrified as a 3-year-old by the album cover of Tommy. And John Rother recalls trying to copy Pete Townshend’s windmill guitar technique a few years ago.

"I couldn’t even hit the strings," he said. "It was very painful."

None of these three had ever seen The Who in concert before last night. In fact, a great many of the 55,000 fans jamming Veterans Stadium for the first of two sold-out shows had never heard the famous British rock band live before. But it hardly mattered.

"They’re still The Who," said Griggs, 20, of Atlantic City. Added his friend Lisa Grove, 21: "I’m going tomorrow night, too."

The Who took to the stage about 7:45, a bit behind schedule, but by the third song, "Pinball Wizard" from the rock opera Tommy, they had made up for lost time. The throngs of fans were standing, clapping and singing along by then as a giant silver pinball balloon bounced around the crowd.

Shawn Grabski, 16, of Port Richmond, was on his feet on the floor, primed for a vintage Who concert, part of the band’s first tour since it broke up in 1982.

He had been told the band had "played the loudest concert ever recorded — it killed fish," he said. "They may be old, but they have great music, and the music is what matters."

Although the young dominated the crowd last night, it was a multigenerational event.

On hand, for example, were Joe and Mary Rosato of Norristown, who figure they have seen 150 rock concerts, including Jimi Hendrix (See WHO on 7-F)

Review: Music

Classic songs played with renewed spirit

By Tom Moon

Inquirer Pop Music Critic

On its first U.S. tour since a "farewell" in 1982, The Who celebrated 25 years in the rock-and-roll business last night at Veterans Stadium. The group that calls itself the "World’s Greatest Rock-and-Roll Band" spent nearly 3½ hours trying to live up to the tag.

The Who, expanded from four to 14 pieces for this retrospective, faced legitimate questions at the start of the evening: Could Roger Daltrey, whose clarion voice was a trademark during the band’s heyday, still reach the high, commanding leads? Could guitarist Pete Townshend, saddled with permanent hearing loss, replicate his fabled hammering intensity while playing acoustic guitar? Could the lean Who sound be credibly broadened with a five-piece horn section?

Most important: Would the songs hold up?

The rock audience has heard just about every possible derivation of the Who sound since the band’s influential period — so just how special now are such songs as "Magic Bus" and "I Can See for Miles" and "Baba O’Riley"?

Judging by the response, very special indeed. About every selection in the 40-song set was greeted with huge roars of approval — even those from Townshend’s solo material and unusual covers, like Daltrey’s version of the Roy Orbison chestnut "Love Hurts."

If nothing else, this blistering whirlwind (See CONCERT on 7-F)