Mark, frenzied arm-windmills to excite the crowd. They truly hit their stride here, with Daltrey running frenetically in place throughout the song.

After a 15-minute break, they came back with Magic Bus and a terrific Baba O’Reilly. During this song Daltrey’s voice seemed strained at times, but he made up for it with a nice harmonica jam. The song also illustrated great cooperation between the group’s members and their many backup counterparts.

Simon Phillips performed admirably on drums, and Steve Bolton filled in much of the electric guitar work in place of Townshend, who has developed tinnitus, a ringing in the ear. Other backup work was done by three background singers, a horn section, and a keyboardist. The background musicians and singers beefed up the sound in a way that wasn’t overdone.

Other highlights of the second set were passionate vocals by Daltrey on Love Reign O’er Me, Join Together, Behind Blue Eyes, and Won’t Get Fooled Again.

The group topped a 15-minute encore with Summertime Blues.

This show was one of the best Buffalo will see in the summer of comeback and reunion tours. It will rivaled only by the Rolling Stones, coming September 1.

Among the British Invasion groups, it seems the Who has outlasted most all of them in fine style.

A big part of the crowd was wearing t-shirts from The Who’s 1982 Farewell Tour. Obviously, that will teach The Who never to say never again. The crowd last night was about half the size of the crowd that showed up here in 1982.

Then again, the band already has played concerts in Glens Falls and Toronto as part of The Kids Are Alright tour. So many fans who might have gone to Rich Stadium already have had a chance to see them.

The Who hasn’t been on the road for seven years, and it may be easy to criticize them about the possible materialistic intentions of this tour. But even if that were the only incentive, these concerts are giving a whole new generation a chance to see living legends in action. That alone is worth the price of admission.