Fourteen thousand persons witnessed one of this year’s major musical events at the Providence Civic Center Saturday night when the Who, Britain’s boisterous rock quartet, reaffirmed its reputation as one of the most explosive live acts in the history of popular music.

After a dozen years without a single personnel change, the Who are still capable of generating the same intense energy that first catapulted them to worldwide fame. And, for a band with a documented history of internal bickering and violence both on and off the stage, the Who worked remarkably well together during a 1:45 hour performance that covered every major period of a long, illustrious and still flourishing career.

Who else but the Who could possibly get away with opening a show with two hit tunes from 1965? “I Can’t Explain” and “Substitute” both capture the

PETER TOWNSHEND . . . windmill

mood of Peter Townshend’s early genius and transport us all, as if in a time capsule, to the days when the Who struggled to make ends meet as the house band at Soho’s Marquee club.

So much has happened to the Who since those early days: memorable appearances preserved on film at both Monterey and Woodstock; some 300-odd ritualistic smashings of electric guitars, amplifiers and drum kits; the unprecedented success on records and film of Townshend’s rock opera “Tommy”; and the burgeoning Hollywood career of blue-eyed singer-actor Roger Daltrey. But when these four slightly loony Britons take the stage, it’s serious business and nothing but the music matters.

Who shows are kinetic feasts. Townshend is the original windmill-style guitarist, striking ear-splitting chords between flying leaps, splits and jumps. Daltrey still swings his microphone like a lariat, competing for the visual focus. Keith Moon, undeniably eccentric, is easily the most animated drummer rock has ever seen. And, in stark contrast to the others, bassist John Entwistle still stands off to the side, totally motionless throughout the show.

No other rock act is so keenly aware of the desires of the audience and that is why a Who concert remains one of the most overpowering rock ’n’ roll shows you will ever witness. Every single person is involved. There is more motion, more participation, more visceral involvement than words can adequately describe. You really have to be there to understand what it is like.

Each Who concert builds to a catharsis. On Saturday night, it occurred during a 3-minute string of hits from “Tommy,” and when Daltrey’s voice rang out with the oft-heard entreaty, “See Me, Feel Me, Touch Me, Heal Me,” it was as if he were singing it for the very first time.

The Who are due in Boston soon, possibly as early as February, but no date has yet been confirmed. The Providence concert was sold out just four hours after tickets were put on sale and there is no reason to believe that seats here will be any easier to come by. Watch for an announcement.