THE WHO — National Exhibition Centre, last night and tonight. Running time: 2hr, 15min.

DOWN went the lights and the pleading, excited screams swelled into a crescendo.

The Who burst on stage clashing straight into their classic, Substitute.

The sound made the skin tingle and the mind run amok with visions of gangs of mods marching through seaside resorts on bank-holiday Mondays. It was the sixties again.

Or was it? Suddenly, we were hearing The Who of the Eighties as tracks from the new album were inevitably rolled out.

Unlike the classics, they were dull, drab affairs relying more on volume than the ability to create atmosphere. At times, the four men on stage might have been a heavy metal band — very heavy metal.

It made you wonder why they were giving up touring and concentrating on recording.

Eventually, the band obliged once again with Who are You, Pinball Wizard, and Won’t Get Fooled Again.

Roger Daltrey swung his microphone round like a lasso and Pete Townshend thrashed his guitar in that memorable way, his right arm flailing like an over-powered windmill sail.

It was great — but no substitute for the startling opening. Ever since then, was an uphill struggle and The Who never quite reached the top of the hill.

John Entwistle tried. As an encore, he was allowed to sing the old Beatles number, Twist and Shout. Well, it was his birthday. But not even that was enough.

Up went the lights and the applause quickly died down. There were even a few boos.