Who rocks like no other?

On-again, off-again Who

JOHN SINKEVICS

ON MUSIC

AUBURN HILLS — Ah, there's old Uncle Pete, welcoming thousands of folks to The Who's Holiday Rock 'n' Roll Camp — you know, "the camp with a difference," as heralded in "Tommy."

They say never mind the weather, 'cause when you come to this camp, it seems The Who rocks on forever. (Anyway, this rock camp was inside the weatherproof confines of the Palace of Auburn Hills on Tuesday, well protected from that beautiful summer evening outside.)

Oh, and never mind that Uncle Pete Townshend — that graying guy furiously yanking on those poor Stratocaster guitar strings up on stage — just turned 55 and has been doggedly running, then disbanding, then re-forming this here camp for upwards of 36 years now.

Oh, and never mind that singer Roger Daltrey, who also just celebrated his 55th birthday, hasn't hit a fair share of those high notes from "Pinball Wizard" or "Won't Get Fooled Again" since even before those farewell and reunion tours of the 1980s, or that bassist John Entwistle, also 55, has that humorless, "I'm-just-doing-this-tour-for-the-money" look about him even if he's capable of delivering some awfully tasty bass licks.

Devoted and/or intoxicated fans (and there were many among the 14,000-plus in attendance) might also overlook the forgotten lyrics, false starts and occasional technical glitches that seemed to crop up every third song or so — though some of that's understandable considering Tuesday's concert was only the second stop on The Who's current North American road trip and the band was testing out some material ("The Seeker," "Let's See Action") it hasn't performed on tour in eons.

"If we sound a bit unrehearsed tonight, it's because we are," Daltrey conceeded after the band returned to the stage for its encore, then added quickly, "We're having fun."

There's the operative word for the show: fun.

Just beginning their U.S. concert tour, Roger Daltrey, left, and Pete Townshend of the Who perform Sunday in Tinley Park, Ill. The band's next stop was Tuesday night in The Palace of Auburn Hills.

Through 19 songs stretched over two hours and 17 minutes, that my-generation-of-teen-age-wasteland-kids-are-alright trio — plus drummer Zak Starkey and keyboard player John "Rabbit" Bundrick — had some laugh-out-loud, slap-your-back, rock-and-roll fun. (This came a night after Jimmy Page and the Black Crowes performed on the same stage; the bands are sharing equipment and stage arrangements on tour, playing separately in the same cities on consecutive nights.)

And no one had more of that fun than Uncle Pete himself, who arrived on stage in a bowling shirt of sorts with a video camera that he used to tape the audience and fellow band members, Clearly in a giddy mood, Townshend's comic sheen was infectious enough to rub off on fans and on a very fit-looking Daltrey, in particular.

"We pretend to like it," Townshend told the crowd at one point, tongue firmly planted in cheek. "It's (bleeping) murder up here. It's like being in a steel mill. It's agonizing."

Sure, so agonizing that from the opening song, "I Can't Explain," Townshend started enthusiastically thrashing at his guitar with his famous windmill swings and Daltrey followed suit by swinging his microphone cord like a rodeo cowboy.

(By the end of the night, I had counted some two dozen windmills and 20 or so microphone cord swings, which means Roger and Uncle Pete had a very good time. Oh, there was also one dropped microphone — oops — and two broken guitar strings — double oops — that required Townshend to switch guitars mid-song. But he did restrain himself: There were no smashed guitars or toppled amplifiers.)

The band seemed to hit stride about midway through its fourth song, Entwistle's "My Wife," with Townshend slapping the strings of his guitar as he stalked the stage (just before Windmill No. 3) and Entwistle contributing an impressive solo.

And the crowd relished the band's playing of its biggest hits, songs such as "Pinball Wizard," "Who Are You," "Won't Get Fooled Again," "You Better You Bet" and "The Real Me."

But nothing matched the extended jam on "Magic Bus," from Townshend's shotgun-like guitar attack over the song's Bo Diddley beat (Windmills No. 5 and 6) to Daltrey's solid harmonica solo. At one point, some fans unfurled a banner that asked, "Can We Ride Your Magic Bus?" and Townshend grinned when they hurled it onto the stage.

The three-song encore ("The Kids Are Alright," "Let's See Action" and "My Generation") may have been the perfect microcosm of Tuesday's show: Rough intros and some sloppy vocals followed by moments of brilliant musicianship and dramatic flourishes.

And when a gleeful Townshend, Daltrey and Entwistle (really, Entwistle was smiling) embraced and joked with one another after it was all over, it seemed like a bunch of guys having a great time on vacation — kind of like that "Tommy's Holiday Camp" Uncle Pete wrote about way back in 1969:

"When you come to Tommy's, the holiday's forever! This is your chance! Tommy's Holiday Camp is coming to your town … You lucky people!"

Comments, questions? Email me: jsinkevics@gr-press.com