Meet the new band, not the same as the old band — but still vital and rocking hard Tuesday night at St. Paul’s Xcel Energy Center.

The Who is down to two original members, Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend. Bassist John Entwistle died of a cocaine-induced heart attack in June, two days before the band was to start its first major tour in five years. Original drummer Keith Moon died of an overdose in 1978.

Daltrey is the Who’s voice and Townshend’s its soul; Entwistle and Moon were the heart. It hasn’t been the same without Moon, and Entwistle was even more integral to the Who’s sound. So on Tuesday Townshend had to be both the soul and the heart, and he, bolstered by the eternally youthful Daltrey, carried the crowd-pleasing, creditable show, featuring one of the most treasured catalogs of classic-rock songs.

The concert could be described as maximum Townshend. Not only did he write the songs that Daltrey sings, but his guitar — whether frenetic acoustic strum, ear-splitting power chords or furious fast runs — frames all the tunes. He came out with ferocious energy, attacking his guitar on “I Can’t Explain” and “Anyway, Any-how, Anywhere,” and driving the crowd wild with his wind-mill wallops and flying leaps. He kept up the intensity on his ax for two more hours.

Not bad for a 57-year-old who gave up rock ’n’ roll several years back because of a hearing problem.

At 58, Daltrey may be the hottest looking of the 1960s rock stars. His energy and intensity matched Townshend’s. But, as he explained, he was having vocal problems because he had performed in a smoky blues club the night before. He sounded croaky at times (especially during the “Quadrophenia” medley), but he sang with palpable conviction.

Concertgoers react to Entwistle-less Who

To many fans, the death of bassist John Entwistle was the nail in the Who’s coffin. The ones who coughed up the money to attend Tuesday’s concert at the Xcel Energy Center obviously weren’t so certain.

Here’s what some of them had to say after the show on whether the lineup that played really deserved to be called the Who: Pete Keller, 41, of Edina: “I don’t mean to sell him short, but even as great a bass player as [Entwistle] was, I don’t think any bass player is all that important. Pete [Townshend] and Roger [Daltrey] are the core of the band, and I think tonight they proved it again.” John Moss, 38, of North St. Paul: “It was a little sad not having him here, but the fill-in guy [Pino Palladino] was great. It was sort of like he was playing as a tribute to John, and I think John most of all would have loved that the music was carrying on.” Sandy Gutierrez, 48, of St. Paul: “It was nice that they mentioned him a couple times and showed him on the video screens, but I don’t think that was enough. It was more like Roger and Pete imitating the Who than the real thing.” Tiffany Daly, 25, of St. Paul: “I’m too young to know the difference, anyway, but they sounded like the Who to me.”

— Chris Riemenschneider

While it’s not surprising that Daltrey and Townshend held their own, the question mark was the rest of the band, especially the rhythm section. Drummer Zak Starkey (Ringo Starr’s son) toured with the Who in 1997; Pino Palladino, England’s top session bassist — he has worked with Townshend, Eric Clapton and others — had two days’ rehearsal. The new rhythm section was solid and efficient, but not defining, like its predecessors.

Palladino didn’t try to be Entwistle. His bass wasn’t as prominent in the sound mix, nor his playing as busy as that of Entwistle, who was the most active and inventive onstage bassist in rock history. Starkey played a bit like Moon but was more precise and consistent.

The Two, er, the Who, acknowledged Entwistle both in conversation and with a series of photographs before the encore of a medley from “Tommy.” Townshend talked about how Palladino was “fulfilling a very important role emotionally, spiritually and in every other way.” Then he dedicated “Another Tricky Day” to Entwistle. The performance was so emotional that Daltrey and Townshend embraced afterward.

Other highlights included the crowd-pleasing “Baba O’Riley,” the passionate “Behind Blue Eyes,” the ebullient encore “Won’t Get Fooled Again” and the 1965 Beatles-esque Brit-pop song “The Kids Are Alright,” during which Townshend ad-libbed an extra verse and a special ending.

All in all, the new band — with the same old boss — proved that the geezers are all right.

— Jon Bream is at popmusic@startribune.com or 612-673-1719.