He told the crowd that this would be the last time he’d perform the song during this tour. That’s unfortunate. Townshend is just the pioneer who might take us out of this malaise of yesteryear.

But it wasn’t as if the crowd didn’t want to hear Townshend’s solo work. Face to Face received huge applause.

If fault could be found it was that there was no interaction between Townshend and Bolton. The second guitarist hid behind Entwistle much of the night, even during his own solos.

Performed in two sets, the final one was rock hysteria. Each song, from Rain on Me, to You Better You Bet to Won’t Get Fooled Again threatened to be the show’s last. Each culminated with triumphant, extended endings.

The two-song encore consisted of Hey Joe, which was dedicated to Jimi Hendrix, and Twist and Shout, which I guess was dedicated to just good-time fun. The Who are on the road to celebrate 25 years of great music. Is there any better reason?

Townshend disbanded the group in 1982 because he was disappointed with the band’s creativity. This tour is a confirmation that in its day, The Who was the most important band in rock.

Sorry Mick, The Stones may have been sexier and generated more chart action but The Who is THE rock band of your generation. You can rebut this claim in November.