Rockers show Gund Arena they aren't ready to retire

By JOHN SOEDER

PLAIN DEALER POP MUSIC CRITIC

People will try to put them down just because they hung around.

The surviving members of the Who seem fated to spend the rest of their lives living down the rallying cry of their youth: "Hope I die before I get old!"

Nonetheless, singer Roger Daltrey, guitarist Pete Townshend and bass player John Entwistle — all in their mid-50s now — performed last night at Gund Arena with an intensity that most rock 'n' rollers half their age would be hard-pressed to match.

This was the next-to-last stop on the Who's third post-farewell tour. Previous reunion outings have found the British band recreating its rock-opera albums "Tommy" and "Quadrophenia."

There was no high concept behind last night's concert — just one meaty, beaty, big and bouncy hit after another.

The show roared to life with a rough-and-ready version of "I Can't Explain." Townshend did his trademark windmill move and slashed at his guitar like Norman Bates in the "Psycho" shower scene. It was just like old times — maybe even better.

Energetic renditions of "Substitute" and "Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere" maintained the momentum.

MUSIC REVIEW

The Who

"It's good to be back here. We have a lot of friends, a lot of real friends in Cleveland," Townshend told the audience. He wore a black suit and a gray shirt that matched what little hair he has left.

There was no shortage of impressive guitar pyrotechnics on Townshend's part. His inspired outbursts weren't solos — they were musical exorcisms that begged the question, "Who are you calling grandpa, punk?"

Daltrey was the best-preserved of the bunch. Blond and tan, he cut a lean, mean figure in a gray shirt and black jeans as he belted out the likes of "Pinball Wizard," "Who Are You" and "Won't Get Fooled Again" (the ultimate election-year anthem) with passion. He also swung his microphone like a lariat, very nearly bopping his bandmates more than once.

Entwistle was typically low-key in a black leather jacket and black jeans as he speed-dialed his bass, laying down a series of especially stunning riffs for "The Real Me." He handled lead vocals (with a little help from Daltrey) on "My Wife."

Backing the band's founding members were longtime touring keyboardist John "Rabbit" Bundrick and drummer Zak Starkey, Ringo Starr's son.

Bundrick had a chance to shine at the end of "The Relay," vamping on an organ over a futuristic funk groove. Starkey was spectacular from start to finish, keeping time with a sense of reckless abandon that recalled the style of original Who drummer Keith Moon, who died of a drug overdose in 1978.

The middle of the set was stacked with selections from the Who's milestone 1971 album, "Who's Next." During "Baba O'Riley," the crowd sang along when Townshend delivered the immortal line: "It's only a teenage wasteland!" Truth be told, it looked more like a baby-boomer paradise in the venue, which was approximately three-fourths full.

Among the other "Who's Next" highlights were "Behind Blue Eyes," the pretty ballad "Getting in Tune" and "Bargain," a tune that Townshend said was about "the love affair between the Who and their audience."

Rounding out the cavalcade of "maximum R&B" classics like "You Better You Bet" and "The Kids Are Alright" were a few lesser-known gems, including "Sheraton Gibson," a folk-rock ditty that Townshend sang and played solo. The chorus included a recurring reference to Cleveland.

A 15-minute version of "My Generation" closed the concert more than two hours after it started. It made for a smashing finale, even if nobody smashed any equipment at the end.

Daltrey, Townshend and Entwistle aren't kids anymore. But they're still all right — and then some.

People took their seats to the music of UnAmerican, a quartet from London. The group's arena rock was competent yet not particularly catchy, with "She's a Bomb" and other tunes all stuck in the same mid-tempo rut.

E-mail: jsoeder@plaind.com Phone: (216) 999-4562