We tried, but you were yawning. Look again — rock is dead. Rock is dead. Rock is dead.

In a blaze of glory — with the power, beauty and intelligence that has supplied refuge to frustrated youth and, later, disillusioned adults for almost two decades — a big part of rock 'n' roll music died Friday night.

With the final chord of — ironically — "Twist and Shout," then a kicked-over microphone stand and feedback from a smashed electric guitar, the Who said goodbye to Southern California audiences before an estimated 95,000 fans at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

It was a fitting farewell. The crowd, a rare combination of middle-aged '60s rock fans and New Wave teens (some lured to the show by the second warmup band, the Clash), were treated to a classic Who performance.

If, as the band insists, this is its final tour of North America, the fans will have some memories:

— Of guitarist Pete Townshend, perhaps rock’s most compassionate and introspective songwriter, leaping about the stage, slashing across the strings in his familiar windmilling motion. At times, playing with frightening power; at others, with surprising delicacy.

— Of singer Roger Daltrey, prancing, marching, stalking, while sporadically whipping his microphone high into the air. His thundering voice seeming to push its limits on every note.

— Of bassist John Entwistle, standing there. Just standing amid the madness; motionless, yet menacing. And supplying the complex bass line that pulls the music together.

— And of drummer Kenney Jones, the newest band member. To many, his presence represents the absence of the late Keith Moon, the brilliant drummer who died in 1978 while living up to his wild image. But, despite the lessened fury behind the Who drum set, Jones is a fine timekeeper and even keeps up the expected breathtaking pace during Moon's old showcase, "I Can See For Miles."

After almost 2½ hours and 25 songs — which began with their early classic, "My Generation" and ended with a rousing four-song encore — Townshend, Daltrey, Entwistle and Jones left the stage, smiling and waving their goodbyes to the crowd's deafening chant of, "Who! Who! Who!…"

Before an impressive fireworks display escorted the Who into the memories of Southern California fans, Townshend approached the mike.

"Goodbye. We’ll miss you," he said, almost poignantly. It was not at all the indifferent tone the band's temperamental leader had reportedly used in some of the farewell tour's earlier stops.

In many ways, though, it will be rock music that will be missing something with the absence of the Who. To