Who draws raves in Triangle

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Spent $1,000 following the band through eight shows on the tour, Ms. Remeczky thought the investment had been well worth it.

William Gilmore, 30, of Wilkes-Barre, Pa., loved the group's Philadelphia stop so much he vowed to see them again. He decided Raleigh was as far as he could go for the band.

Thousands of fans had arrived on the stadium grounds Thursday afternoon. Intermittent rain fell, but most fans said they had awaited the Who for too long to let anything dampen the occasion.

As parking lots began filling as early as 3:30 p.m., fans indulged in tailgate parties and impromptu Frisbee games. Many hoisted banners, including one that read "Our Generation" and featured a poster of teen pop star Debbie Gibson with a red slash through it.

The day did seem to belong to the first Who generation – fans who were gyrating and lip-syncing to songs like "Pinball Wizard" and "Magic Bus" before Ms. Gibson was born.

Five members of the Broughton High School Class of '65 gathered around a portable stereo as they reflected on the concerts of their youth. "I saw the Stones at Reynolds Coliseum in 1968, for $3," said one member of the group, now domesticated and sporting a pink polo shirt.

Most had not been to more than

Racket riles a few neighbors

P. Douglas Justice of 4903 Western Blvd. didn't have to go to Carter-Finley Stadium to listen to The Who. He could hear them in his living room "with doors and windows closed," he said.

"I realize I shouldn't complain – I'm getting $30 for free," Mr. Justice, 43, said in a telephone interview. "I'm not really an old fogie. I would think it should be turned down to a reasonable level."

Raleigh police dispatcher Harold Guthrie said he had received about 12 complaints about concert noise, the farthest being from Avent Ferry Road. In all, dispatchers had received about 50 calls, he said.

NCSU campus police said they received only a few calls about noise. "They just wanted to acknowledge the fact that they were hearing a concert and not their neighbors," said NCSU Police Sgt. Frederick Parley. "They were very un-

derstanding, just asking to find out how much longer it was going."

Meanwhile, the Wake Sheriff's Department said at least 25 arrests were made at the concert.

Twenty people were arrested for drunken and disorderly conduct and five people were arrested on drug offenses. Two autos were confiscated after owners or occupants were charged with cocaine possession, sheriff’s deputies said.

But police said concertgoers generally were well-behaved. More than 400 law enforcement officers were at the event.

Ninety people were treated at first-aid stations for heat exhaustion or alcohol or drug intoxication, authorities said. Two fans were transported to Wake Medical Center, one for an apparent drug overdose and one for asthma.

— DENISE PRIVETTE and ROBERTSON BARRETT

one concert in the last 20 years – but for the Who they made an exception. "We grew up listening to them," the man in the pink polo shirt said, adding that his 16-year-old son is a Who fan as well. "But you can't bring the kids," he said. "It kind of makes you feel old."

Many at the concert hadn't been born when the Who began electrifying teenagers in the 1960s, with Mr. Townshend smashing guitars on stage and Mr. Daltrey twirling his microphone wildly.

But the band members have mellowed somewhat in their 40s. Mr. Townshend's hearing has been damaged by years of high decibels, and he is taking precautions during the tour, using a noise screen to protect his ears.

While many of the older generation claimed the band for themselves, the younger fans thought the musicians were talking about their generation as well.

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Robertson Barrett contributed to this report.