Opening act John Cougar was hit by a bottle early in his set, but returned with ample protection.

The Who's main men, Roger Daltry, left, and Pete Townshend, continue to excite crowds.

It is a comparably new thing for a rock supergroup to reach retirement age. But the Who is doing it about as graciously as anyone could, considering the internal disagreement and the immense expectations from fans and critics.

Plainly past their peak as leaders and opinion – formers, the quartet still has a powerful show, as it displayed in what is advertised as a "farewell tour" stop at Arizona State University's Sun Devil Stadium Sunday. Perhaps reflecting the change of rock in general from "we" to "me" music, the Who's songs have become increasingly self-absorbed and fragmented. The band has dwelt on lead guitarist Pete Townshend's self-searching more and more, to the detriment of the group as a whole. Perhaps this is a good time for Townshend to promote his views as a soloist or leader of his own band.

It is impossible for the Who to ignore their early history, and the crowd of approximately 50,000, many dressed in outlandish Halloween costumes, was evidently there as much for the old numbers as the new. It was anthems such as My Generation and Baba O'Riley that set the audience alight. The set began with two '60s hits, Substitute and Can't Explain.

On stage / Andrew Means

THE WHO With John Cougar and Loverboy, Sunday, Arizona State University's Sun Devil Stadium.

Although more subdued than on the group's 1980 tour, when he ran in place for the whole show, singer Roger Daltry kept the audience gasping with an old trademark 6 tossing his microphone in the air and catching it.

While Townshend may be the philosopher and writer of the group, Daltry was the undisputed figurehead onstage. Townshend performed few of the gymnastics he was once known for. The sound was considerably louder than last December's Rolling Stones concert at Sun Devil Stadium, but the quality varied 6 inevitable, perhaps, with such a powerful rhythm section as bassist John Entwistle and drummer Kenney Jones.

Considering that it took less than a day to erect a stage set that usually takes three or four days to prepare, the show got off to a fairly prompt start.

The Who has had crowd problems on their American tours in the past. But there were only a few minor incidents reported Sunday. The worst incident involved opening singer John Cougar, who was struck on the head by a bottle thrown from the crowd about 10 minutes into his set. After castigating the culprit in no uncertain terms, Cougar left the stage to get the cut stitched. An announcement was made that he would not return. But after 20 minutes he did return, continuing his set with the aptly titled Hurts So Good.

Cougar stayed on for about 20 minutes. Understandably, he was never able to recover the dynamics of the opening two songs. Before quitting the stage for the last time, he directed more unprintable venom at the bottle thrower.

Like Cougar, Loverboy is tailor-made for the needs of radio. The catchy hooks and driving rhythm of hits like Turn Me Loose and The Kid Is Hot Tonight have thrived on repeated air play. Though Loverboy has yet to develop a very strong stage personality, singer Mike Reno has noticeably gained confidence and strength.

Townshend's lead guitar licks provide the basis for the band's exciting sound.