Continued from B-1

Was over, the screens flashed "THE END," just in case there was any doubt.

Still, the evening had many bright moments. The brightest came during songs that showcased Pete Townshend, The Who's widely admired guitarist and main songwriter. He performed a gorgeous version of the countryish rock number "I'm One," for instance, wringing more passion from his acoustic guitar than most players get from the most overamped electric ax.

"Drowned" was even better, improving on the studio version sung by Roger Daltrey. Townshend's more nuanced performance boasted vocals that leaped from his high, clear choir-boy sound to dirty blues belting, complemented by acoustic guitar work ranging from delicate, flat picking to machine-gun strums.

Daltrey, who sang lead for most of the show, still has a strong voice, and he's amazingly buff for 52. But one didn't get the sense there was real fire behind the histrionics, no matter how much he tore up his vocal cords.

The best rocker of the evening, "5:15," was memorable not for Daltrey's vocals but for a spectacularly fluid solo by bassist John Entwistle and the muscular drumming of Zak Starkey (Ringo Starr's son). Throughout the evening, Starkey did justice to the memory of the late Keith Moon, The Who's legendary thunder god and madman.

By contrast, Townshend, like Daltrey, was lacking in spunk. The multi-talented musician has made it clear in recent years that he's tired of playing the rock star. As if to prove it, he played acoustic guitar and left the electric-guitar leads to his little brother, Simon, on every number except the last. Simon Townshend is a solid rock guitarist, but few could adequately fill in for the brilliant older brother.

When Pete Townshend finally strapped on an electric guitar for the show-closing "Love, Reign O'er Me," to cheers from the nearly full arena, his playing surpassed anything his brother had unleashed in the preceding hour and a half. (For the benefit of those who monitor such things: Townshend executed one windmill strum, and all instruments remained intact.)

The Who performed a restrained, almost stately version of "Reign," which is usually an earth-shaking tune. It's as though after an evening of musical climaxes, the band had nothing more to give.

Fortunately, that wasn't quite true. The Who returned for a half hour of encores that focused on the three surviving members. They played a nicely stripped-down version of "Won't Get Fooled Again," a decent "Behind Blue Eyes" and a rocking "Who Are You" that revealed glimpses of the old "Maximum R&B" Who sound. But they closed out the evening with a tepid rendition of "Substitute," an anti-climactic choice.

No review of a Who opera would be complete without a mention of the guest stars. "Quadrophenia," featured two: Gary Glitter and Billy Idol. Rock caricatures in real life, the costumed vocalists reveled in their cartoonish roles as a washed-up rock star and a Mod leader turned bellboy, respectively. Unfortunately, neither of them can sing. When they were on stage, the whole production turned into the world's most expensive high school musical.