The Pittsburgh Press Section C Monday, July 17, 1989

THE WHO Even after 25 years, the band still attracts a diverse crowd of fans

IMAGINE 52,000 screaming fans, perched on chairs and railings, fists punching the air in excited abandon. Imagine a mighty engine of sound, thundering across the huge expanse of Three Rivers Stadium, obliterating eardrums, fragile crystal and everything else in its path.

Imagine a band so powerful that — after 25 years of existence, the death of a band member and a breakup in 1982 — they can still shake the rafters in stadiums across the nation.

The Who's performance at Three Rivers Stadium last night was nothing short of spectacular — a full blown, no holds barred rock extravaganza brought to Pittsburgh's back yard.

Though the concert was an amazing celebration of the band's 25th anniversary, the most unusual aspect of the show may not have been onstage at all.

The spectators at this concert were the real story.

Most entertainers appeal to select groups. A look at the audience for one of their shows reveals the particular type of person who enjoys their music.

But this isn't the case with The Who.

Judging by the audience at Three Rivers Stadium, The Who's appeal cuts across age, cultural and economic boundaries.

At last night's show, hippies with long hair and tie-dyed T-shirts sat next to yuppies sporting the latest in fashionable leisurewear. Conservative businessmen sang along with the band while long-haired rock 'n' rollers cheered on.

Lead vocalist Roger Daltrey highlighted the audience's diversity during the band's spirited rendition of its 1965 hit "My Generation," singing, "Don't try to dig what we all say … just talkin' 'bout my generation."

Ironically, many of the people in this audience weren't from his generation.

A large percentage of the fans at the concert were teenagers, from 16 to 19 years of age. Mostly dressed in black concert T-shirts and bandanas, they had no problems dancing to a song that was written years before they were born.

Gussie Doctor, 18, was one of those fans. Though The Who played their first concert seven years before she was born, she knows all the band's material — thanks to the local "classic rock" radio station.

Gussie piled into a car with a group of friends and drove for 30 minutes from Butler to see the show.

"I can't help it," she said. "I love The Who. I wish I could follow them through the rest of the tour, but this is the only show I could get to."

Anthony Kane and his friends came to the concert prepared. If they wanted to, they could follow the tour all the way to Los Angeles — and they just might.

Kane, an 18-year-old sophomore at Whitemountain Boarding School in New Hampshire, rented a 15-foot truck to haul himself and four friends down to a Grateful Dead concert in Washington, D.C.

When they heard The Who was playing at Three Rivers Stadium, they decided to make Pittsburgh their next stop.

Please see Who, C3

Pete Townshend and Three Rivers Stadium were both jumping last night for The Who concert.

A crowd of 52,000 jammed Three Rivers Stadium last night for The Who's 25th anniversary tour. Above, Roger Daltrey paused for effect during song from the rock opera "Tommy."

Photographed by Vince Musi