You can’t say nobody gets passionate about the Who anymore. Just check the opinions that have been flying since the band announced its reunion tour:

The Who are sell-outs. The Who are older but alright. The Who are still the greatest band in the world. One can easily find an old Who fan to agree with any of the above.

This writer got his first taste of the reunion tour last night, and still came back a fan – a picky fan, but definitely a fan. Yes, we had moments when the night seemed like just a skillful re-creation of the Who. But there were times when it looked and sounded like the mighty Who itself.

Most of those moments came when the core members – Roger Daltrey, Pete Townshend, John Entwistle and new, powerhouse drummer Simon Phillips – got down to the old band chemistry. The Entwistle song “My Wife” allowed the band to take off instrumentally, and Townshend’s long electric guitar break – practically the only one he took all night – was positively thrilling. At the other extreme was the obscure oldie “Too Much of Anything,” a newly added number that opened the second set. It’s a lovely, self-doubting song from Townshend’s darker days, and was served beautifully in an acoustic Townshend-Daltrey duet.

So what’s the problem? Just that the new, big-band setup doesn’t always allow those moments of wild abandon. That was especially evident on the old Who rockers, which came off a little too precise (save for “My Generation,” which sizzled). And it’s still hard getting used to seeing Townshend strum an acoustic guitar while new member Steve Bolton stands in for the big solos. On “I Can See for Miles” Townshend played electric rhythm, doing his crowd-pleasing windmill moves; but the actual solo was being played – capably, but not magically – by Bolton. (Since Townshend already had the electric in hand, why not go for it?) The “Tommy” material was generally solid, but over-orchestrated at times: “Pinball Wizard” got a long, horn-driven outro that sounded more like Chicago than the Who.

Quibbles aside, the band worked hard to deliver the goods to the sold-out crowd: Casual fans got to hear the big hits, longtime Who-watchers got to hear newer material. Some of those newer songs were standouts. “Rough Boys” (from Townshend’s solo LP “Empty Glass”) always cried out to be a Who song, and it got a swift kick last night from Entwistle’s bass. And Townshend’s solo spots were inspired, barreling through “Face the Face” and getting an intimate mood on “A Little Is Enough”.

For the record, last night’s set had a number of additions from Wednesday’s. Along with “Too Much of Anything” there was the “Quadrophenia” song “I’m One,” plus a handful of covers – “Love Hurts,” “Summertime Blues” and “Hey Joe.”

Our own Who fantasy would still involve seeing the core members in a theater with no outside help – sink or swim. As good as the horn players, keyboardist Rabbit Bundrick and percussionist Jody Linscott are, they can’t replace the old Who chemistry. But as long as the concerts keep offering a little of both sides, the reunion is bound to keep winning back the old fans.