Post photo by Carlos Rosales

Jerry Jeff Walker performed on the country stage.

THE WHO: Group on far side of 40 — but can still wow ’em

From C-1

Had the allure of blue-collar bluesrock heroes, and they continued that impression in their punchy, workmanlike 50-minute set. The T-Birds don’t have a whole lot of expressive range — never did — but within their proscribed turf, they rock with conviction. Both "Rock This House" and "She’s Tough" pumped plenty of wattage through the massive (but not always clear) sound reinforcements.

Heck, even the too-oft-repeated "Tough Enough" — the just-adequate tune that vaulted the ’Birds from local to Texas-wide to nationwide renown — was rough, brusque and fresh at the Astrodome.

Vaughan’s brand of hard work is of another order entirely — the crushing struggle to reassemble a unique talent and style from career morass and substance dependency.

One can’t guess at how much it must have cost him to get back so far, but ole Stevie Ray most certainly is back.

That jaw-dropping technique Vaughan possessed — the sort that makes even fine guitarists toss their axes aside in self-loathing — has certainly stuck by him. His southern-fried Hendrixisms on the cover of "Voodoo Chile" would certainly lay any such concerns to complete silence.