LANDOVER, Md.

What began as a one-shot return at London’s Hyde Park in June has now blossomed into yet another revival for The Who — otherwise known as the band that has embarked on about 764 reunion tours. This time, the venerable Brits have reinvigorated their other rock opus, “Quadrophenia,” a stellar work that many fans consider the band’s most cohesive recording.

Originally released in 1973 and turned into a movie in 1979, “Quadrophenia” is the tale of an enigmatic and confused youth, Jimmy, and his quest to find an identity.

Fueled by the creative genius of guitarist Pete Townshend, the music of “Quadrophenia” is meant as a retrospective of the band’s original members — deceased drummer Keith Moon as the insane one, bassist John Entwistle as the romantic, singer Roger Daltrey as the bad and Townshend as the good. The song’s winding tales more than cover each personality.

At the USAir Arena yesterday, the three remaining Who men, along with Ringo Starr’s son, Zak Starkey, on drums and an additional 11 musicians, re-created their epic as part of a limited tour that began in America over the summer with six sold-out shows at Madison Square Garden. In Maryland, a mostly middle-age crowd of about 12,000 headed in to relive their youth — and it’s doubtful they were disappointed.

The band has aged well (Daltrey looked particularly buff in a white tank top and jeans), though Townshend’s vocals seemed sturdier than Daltrey’s occasional screeching.

Backed by a tremendous video screen that projected the voice and image of Jimmy and basking in the swirling colored lights, The Who are astute enough to know that aesthetics aren’t the only important elements at such a grandiose outing. That’s where side players Billy Idol and Gary Glitter come in.

Idol, best known for his curled upper lip and growling rock anthems such as “White Wedding” and “Rebel Yell,” and Glitter, a formidable star in England who had minor success on this side of the Atlantic with the popular football fist-pumper, “Rock and Roll Part 2,” carried the theatrical element of “Quadrophenia” with veteran aplomb.

What a hoot to see Glitter prancing around with his foofy hair and leather studded clothing, as part of his “Rocker” attire, while Idol, despite his perpetual sneer, looked trim and sounded potent during his spin as the well-coiffed “Mod,” and later, the “Bellboy.”

The rest of the band, meanwhile, tore effortlessly through the rock opera’s glorious songs.

“Why did I need heroes when what I really wanted was to BELONG?” questioned Jimmy. The answer lay in Townshend’s blistering acoustic “Drowned,” followed by Idol’s crowd-pleasing “Bell Boy.”

But most of the crowd was eager to hear the climactic closers, beginning with the intense, whizzing guitars and chest-rattling drums of “The Rock” and ending with the Bic-flicker “Love Reign O’er Me.”

No sooner did the 90-minute “Quadrophenia” portion end, when Daltrey and Townshend took the stage alone to weave acoustic versions of some of the band’s greatest hits, including, “Won’t Get Fooled Again” and “Behind Blue Eyes,” the only accompaniment was Daltrey’s boot heel clinking against the stage floor.

The time will come soon when the band will retire and mean it, but don’t think you won’t see more of these guys in the future. After all, there’s plenty of money to be made with those famous rock star reunion tours, so don’t let ’em fool you.