WORCESTER - The worst-kept secret in town is that The Who's "Quadrophenia" tour is not the box-office success that many promoters expected. Up to three performances were planned for the Worcester Centrum, but only the first sold out on Tuesday. Tonight's show is not sold out, while a third was never added. Other cities have reported similar downsizing. Heck, even the scalpers around the Centrum on Tuesday looked lonely.

One could explain this phenomenon several ways:

■ The Who, despite ranking in the Beatles/Stones/Led Zeppelin pantheon, have launched too many "farewell" tours and the audience is burnt.

■ "Quadrophenia" is a lesser-known rock opera than "Tommy."

THE WHO With Ocean Colour Scene At: the Worcester Centrum, Tuesday (and tonight).

■ The tickets were too steep (a high of $55).

■ Creator-guru Pete Townshend was doing this only for the money, which alienated the fandom.

"If you think I'm doing this for the money ... well ..." Townshend told the crowd, rolling his eyes as if to not deny it. And he never finished the sentence.

Yet, in spite of all the questions, the show was a winner. Townshend can joke about the money, but he had his game face on at the Centrum, as did band mates Roger Daltrey and John Entwistle. In a stage extravaganza fit for Broadway, they shared the story of a '60s mod named Jimmy who gets into seaside rumbles, veers into drugs and has suicidal tendencies, but finds hope at the end with the epochal "Love Reign O'er Me." That sent chills through a Centrum crowd that included Gov. Weld, of whom one listener said, "If I'd known he was a Who fan, I would have voted for him!"

Moral of the story: Ignore the cynics and make the pilgrimage to the Centrum tonight.

This rock opera doesn't have as many distinctive songs as "Tommy," but it resonates with a timeless underdog sensibility. Like the summer production in New York, it's staged with fast-cut video footage beamed onto three screens. The cast boasts the wonderfully smarmy Billy Idol (playing a mod who becomes a sneering bellhop) and the scene-stealing Gary Glitter (playing the role of "Godfather" in caked makeup and cartoony silver vest that makes him look like a punk Liberace). They're ably supported by a five-man horn section, some well-known Who touring musicians (including Braintree's Jody Linscott on percussion) and the tireless Zak Starkey (Ringo Starr's son), who goes wild on a double-bass drum kit.

"Quadrophenia" is played in its entirety, hitting emotional highs with "The Real Me" (with Daltrey's pumped-up plea to Jimmy's shrink: "Can you see the real me, Doctor?"), Townshend's solo acoustic "I'm One" (about peer acceptance), Idol's romping "I've Had Enough" and the bluesy "Drowned" (a tour de force by Townshend). It climaxes with the uplifting "Love Reign O'er Me," with Townshend finally chucking his acoustic guitar and ripping off some electric leads and windmilling a few chords.

Townshend didn't play enough electric guitar, which has been a common complaint on the tour. He generally left electric duties to his workmanlike brother, Simon, but that doesn't mean he took the money and ran. He bared his heart vocally and when he thanked the crowd for its support at the end, the moment felt totally real.

The show didn't have the festive edges of The Who's last "farewell" at Foxboro Stadium in 1989, but it had more of a sense of closure. For old-time fans, The Who encored with "Won't Get Fooled Again" (Townshend embellishing flamenco rhythms on his acoustic), "Behind Blue Eyes" and "Who Are You." Their niche in rock's pantheon was secure.

Opening up was Ocean Colour Scene, a dynamic new British band with obvious influences (the Beatles, Squeeze, Cream and The Who), rendered without pandering.