Pete Townshend, the man who once said he wanted to die before he got old, celebrated his 51st birthday in May. Now he’s touring the United States with his old bandmates from The Who, performing “Quadrophenia,” his 1973 album-length commentary on the often painful and perilous journey from adolescence to adulthood.

The idea of Townshend, Roger Daltrey and John Entwistle traveling around the country singing songs about teenage turmoil and angst might strike some people as ironic, possibly even a bit silly. Daltrey and Entwistle are also in their early ’50s, and don’t exactly fit the mold of the characters in Townshend’s tale of rival teenage gangs of “mods” and “rockers” in 1960s England.

But there they were last night at Gund Arena, singing songs about the teenage wasteland in a big production that was part Broadway theater, part old-style arena rock ’n’ roll.

Whether they were believable in their respective roles probably depends on your perspective. If you are age 35-55 and grew up on The Who, you undoubtedly would have loved it. If you are a 1990s teenager going through the turmoil of your own adolescence, one suspects that Nirvana, Nine Inch Nails and Dr. Dre will have more relevance.

It’s not the subject matter of “Quadrophenia” that’s the problem. The journey from adolescence to adulthood is never-ending, and songs such as “Love Reign O’er Me,” “The Real Me” and “5:15” sound as good and ring as true today as they did in the 1970s.

But staging the piece as a theatrical production starring The

MUSIC REVIEW

The Who

Who puts the whole thing in a slightly different light. The music may be timeless, but The Who are not. And as good as they sounded on stage last night, they were simply not believable singing these songs in a theatrical setting.

It’s a pity, too. Because if you had taken away the theatrical components — the disjointed film narrative, the cheesy guest appearances by British rockers Gary Glitter and Billy Idol — you would have been left with an amazing concert performance.

Townshend, Daltrey and Entwistle are still very, very believable as rock ’n’ roll musicians. And if you closed your eyes and focused on the music, the show was absolutely riveting — with fully realized, virtuoso performances of all the “Quadrophenia” classics.

The band played the album from beginning to end — “I Am The Sea,” “The Real Me,” “Quadrophenia,” “Cut My Hair,” “The Punk Meets the Godfather,” “I’m One,” “The Dirty Jobs,” “Helpless Dancer,” “Is It In My Head,” “I’ve Had Enough,” “5:15,” “Sea and Sand,” “Drowned,” “Bell Boy,” “Doctor Jimmy,” “The Rock” and the epic “Love Reign O’er Me.”

Daltrey was in top vocal form, mixing pathos and aggression with typical aplomb. Townshend spent most of the night playing acoustic guitar, but looked fit and ready to fight. They were supported by a superb backing band that included Townshend’s brother, Simon, on guitar and Ringo Starr’s son, Zak Starkey, on drums. The supporting cast also included percussionist Jody Linscott, keyboardists Jon Carlin and John “Rabbit” Bundrick and a five-piece brass section.

The concert ended with a three-song encore, including an anthemic acoustic rendition of “Won’t Get Fooled Again” and fully electric takes on “Behind Blue Eyes” and “Who Are You.”

Townshend has said in recent interviews that he is uncomfortable now performing in the role of rock star. Maybe. But he sure looked comfortable up on that stage last night. Here’s hoping that if The Who tours again, they leave the theatrics to Broadway and concentrate on what they do best — rock.

The Heads — a new group featuring former Talking Heads players Chris Frantz, Jerry Harrison and Tina Weymouth — opened the show with a 30-minute set of tunes from their debut album, “No Talking, Just Head.”

The band’s singer was Concrete Blonde’s Johnette Napolitano — whose big, bluesy voice is among the most powerful instruments in contemporary rock. It’s a voice

that fits perfectly with The Heads’ post-modern blend of rock, blues, funk and dance styles. She even managed to step into former Talking Heads lead singer David Byrne’s role for a couple of old Talking Head tunes, giving renditions of “Burning Down the House” and “Take Me to the River” a soulful, funky feel.