Two years ago, The Who managed to defy expectations, logic and, really, proper protocol by successfully returning to the stage just four days after its original bassist, John Entwistle, died of a heart attack in a Las Vegas hotel room.

The group’s gig at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View in 2002, just its second without Entwistle, turned out to be both a joyous celebration of classic rock at its finest and a tribute to the dearly departed band member known alternately as “Thunderfingers,” “Ox” and “The Quiet One.”

The band returned Saturday to Shoreline and the result was nearly as glorious. Having survived hard times, vocalist Roger Daltrey, guitarist Pete Townshend and crew clearly illustrated once again why The Who has long been considered one of the best live acts in the music industry.

Looking back at the past

The band revisited its legendary past, playing solid versions of such immortal classics as “Substitute,” “Behind Blue Eyes” and nearly 20 others. Although the near-capacity crowd had heard these decades-old songs countless times before, the music still sounded fresh, relevant and urgent.

Perhaps more significantly, The Who came across like a band with a future.

The group is currently working on an album of new material, its first since 1982, and the players gave the appreciative audience a taste of what is to come. The Who played two new songs, “Real Good Looking Boy” and “Old Red Wine,” and, impressively, they stood tall next to the likes of “Pinball Wizard” and “Behind Blue Eyes.”

For those who can’t wait for the new album, these tracks can also be found on the recent greatest-hits compilation, “Then and Now.”

Song-to-song momentum

Coming out of the gate with the traditional opener "I Can’t Explain," The Who charged straight through a batch of early favorites. The momentum carried over from song to song as the band rocked the house with “Substitute,” “Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere,” “Baba O’Riley” and “You Better You Bet.”

It’s getting increasingly hard to tell the players without a scorecard. But they were each solid in their roles. Simon Townshend played a marvelous “second fiddle” to brother Pete on guitar and filled the high harmonies once sung by