The Sound of Music it ain’t.

If your idea of musicals is sappy-sweet sentiment and people breaking into song at inappropriate moments, be prepared to change your mind. The Who’s Tommy will explode at the Civic Center of Greater Des Moines this weekend, with the first performance Friday night at 8 p.m.

Need more incentive? Students can get half-price tickets.

The story is set between the end of World War II and the late 1960s. It chronicles the life of young Tommy Walker, who, after a traumatic experience as a child, withdraws from the rest of the world; he becomes deaf, dumb and blind.

The Who’s Tommy has not only spanned the country and a couple generations, but also varied forms of media. In fact, it was performed as a concert (in Woodstock, no less!), as an opera, as a classical recording, as a ballet, as a motion picture and now a theatrical staging.

This particular tour opened Sept. 7 and will run through next summer. Such a long stint doesn’t faze the members of cast and crew, however; they are actually looking forward to it.

“We’re scheduled through the end of next June,” said Machelle Bebensee, the show’s musical director. “We’re having a good time. It’s a nice cast, great musicians; I couldn’t ask for anything better.”

It’s definitely the tuneage that sets Tommy apart from stuff like “The Hills Are Alive.” The first blast of rock ‘n roll twisted with some hip-swingin’ will convince you that you ain’t at no ordinary musical. “It’s a little more layered than you would think,” Bebensee explained. “There’s singin’ and dancin’ all the way through it. It’s very loud and very in-your-face. But that’s just the genre of music; the rock influence will do that.”

“It’s exhilarating, something the audience gets into, music you can groove to,” added Michael Seelbach, who plays the role of Tommy as an adult. “It’s got a rock concert feel to it, a great story and dancing, all in a Broadway show.”

Even college students who never owned an album by The Who (or who think that “Pinball Wizard” is just a fixture on classic radio stations) will appreciate the oceans of sound waves. The cast members themselves are growing to know and love The Who.

“I’m liking [the music] more and more,” Bebensee said. “I was too young to really listen to The Who, so I’m not that familiar with it. It takes a few times to get with it.”

“I didn’t know much about The Who,” Seelbach agreed. “I’m going into record stores and looking for their old music.”

The songs, in fact, make up the entire body of the musical. Seelbach said that there are only a couple sentences of spoken lines; the rest is total tuneage. This focus on the music presents a sort of challenge, both for the musicians themselves and the actors on stage.

“It makes you have to pay attention more,” Bebensee said. “You have to be alert, have to keep concentration. It moves right along … When you’re in the pit, and we get rockin’, we have a lotta fun. It’s a big challenge going song to song to song.”

Because of the new territory Tommy explores and its toe-tappin’ tunes, audiences all over the country have fallen in love with the show. “Without lying, I think they’ve been on their feet every night,” Bebensee said. “It’s two hours of energy coming at you, and nobody has a chance to take a break. The audience appreciates that.”

Viewers will also come away from the show with an uplifted, energetic, almost caffeinated feeling. Tommy’s message will make everyone smile.

“[After Tommy emerges from his own world], he has a totally different view on seeing and hearing and appreciating life,” Seelbach explained. “Things are so foreign to him; he tries to tell everyone else how great it is to be alive.

“It’s about appreciating life, appreciating simple things, the power of the human spirit and surviving. It’s really intense to go through it every night. I leave the show feeling really exhilarated.”

Other evening show times are Saturday, Sept. 30 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 1 at 7 p.m. Matinee showtimes are Saturday, Sept. 30 and Sunday, Oct. 1, both at 2 p.m.

Ticket prices for evening performances are $38, $30 and $18; matinee shows cost $34, $26 and $15. Tickets are available at the Civic Center Box Office, all Ticketmaster outlets in person or charge by phone at 233-1888 in Ames and 243-1888 in Des Moines.

Half-price student rush tickets are available for both of the 2 p.m. performances only at the Civic Center Box Office.

The office opens at noon Saturday and Sunday; tickets must be purchased on the day the student wishes to attend Tommy. Students must present valid college ID; only one ticket per ID.