The feeling of dread going into last night's "Quadrophenia" show at the Civic Arena had something to do with the thought of a Broadway-happy Pete Townshend giving a new generation of Faces a quite different reason to rally around the old Who lyric, "Hope I die before I get old."

Here were three surviving originals, now in their post-"Tommy" 50s, staging a multimedia "Quadrophenia," joined by Gary Glitter and Billy Idol.

A scary concept, even without the riots and multiple personalities.

Somehow, they not only pulled it off, they turned in the most inspired performance they've given here since Moonie died in 1978.

And despite the carping of skeptics who haven't seen it, there were no clocks being punched on stage last night.

They played the double album from start to finish, beginning with "I Am the Sea," as breakers crashing against the rocks bled into footage of Keith Moon-era Who on the video monitors.

Roger Daltrey quickly brought the focus around to the stage with a breathtaking show of passion and strength on "The Real Me," twirling and catching his mike in traditional Daltrey fashion. The mix was a little soft at first, with everything hanging on Daltrey's voice, but things kicked in by the time we got to Entwistle's classic bass breaks.

An onscreen Jimmy walked the audience through the plot, which essentially follows the trials and tribulations of Jimmy, a split-personality mod. His often hilarious narratives mixed in nicely with clips from the film. Best line, going into "The Rock": "I saw my four lives flashing before me."

Glitter was there as the leather-vested, insanely pompadoured God-father, camping it up as only an old glam-rocker could. It was funny cartoon stuff but nothing compared to Idol, who played the Face, the king of the mods, with all the cocky swagger required.

Townshend played acoustic guitar for most of the set, allowing his brother Simon to re-create the album's leads. When brother Pete did strap it on for "The Rock," the effect was electrifying.

A show-stopping "5:15" got a jolt from the five-man horn squad, setting the stage for a gonzo Entwistle showcase. And pounding it all into overdrive, Ringo's kid, Zak Starkey, did the late great Keith Moon proud, filling a pair of shoes most drummers aren't even fit to polish.

Linda Perry, of 4 Non Blondes, and her solo band, the Muff Divers, opened the show with a set of anthemic folk-pop. Much like 4 Non Blondes, it all came down to whether or not you could stomach Perry's vocals, though the violin was a classy touch and "House of the Rising Sun" was surprisingly nuts.