John Entwistle still dresses like a mod. Better yet, he still plays with a vengeance.

Wearing a white jean jacket over a red shirt, tight black jeans and red suede cowboy boots, Entwistle, his gray mane swept back like a well-coifed lion, wore that cool, very British, just-stepped-off-my-Vespa-scooter look, when he hit the stage at Sneakers on Thursday.

Entwistle is a monster on the bass guitar, fingers flying incredibly fast, powerful and precise on every song, his custom-made bass designed to look like a flaming buzzard. Why it appears he shopped for his band at Kmart is beyond comprehension.

Singer/guitarist Godfrey Townsend managed a reasonable Roger Daltrey impersonation, Steve Luongo delivered a tame Keith Moon double-kick drum wallop and keyboardist Alan St. Jon padded the sound, but they were merely adequate. Still, the chance to marvel, close-up, at Entwistle’s amazing prowess on bass was most satisfying.

With his head cocked to the left, he listened closely to the groove when he wasn’t singing lead, grimacing ever so slightly whenever the band wasn’t perfectly in sync. Obviously, he is a master at anchoring the beat. “The Real Me” from the Who’s “Quadrophenia” concept album showcased Entwistle’s ringing octave bass approach.

“When I first started writing songs, I would write about spiders,” joked Entwistle, introducing “Love Doesn’t Last” from “The Rock” CD. “Last Song” also seemed to come from his solo batch of “divorce songs,” though it seemed somewhat odd he didn’t sing these personal songs.

After numerous calls from a vocal fan for “Boris the Spider,” he relented with a sardonic swipe, “I’ll play ‘Boris’ so he’ll go home.” It sounded twangy and chunky, featuring a beefy vocal from Entwistle and note-perfect background parts.

“My Wife” rocked much harder than the original on “Who’s Next,” though the bassist appeared tired of performing this number and strained to sing lead on the higher notes. He closed with “Long Live Rock.”