Roger Daltrey, left, and Pete Townshend of The Who open their North American tour "The Who Hits 50" at Amalie Arena in Tampa on Wednesday.

Latest farewell tour shows Who can still rock

TAMPA — The Who have had farewell tours before, but lead singer Roger Daltrey recently told Rolling Stone he and his mates "have to be realistic" and they want to go out "at the top of our game."

If Wednesday night’s packed show at Amalie Arena indeed was the last time their fans will see the iconic British rockers perform their magic on a live stage, they certainly give them something to treasure.

"The Who Hits 50" opened the spring run of its North American swing to a wildly appreciative — and older — crowd, treating concertgoers to a wide-ranging tour of their vast catalog and showing that although Daltrey and guitarist Pete Townshend may be on the other side of 70, the years haven’t dulled their enthusiasm and ability to fire up an arena.

They also showed some of the younger folks that their repertoire goes far beyond TV commercial jingles and intros for their favorite crime dramas.

The band dug way back early on, opening with "I Can’t Explain" and "Substitute," a couple of their earliest hits. The songs featured Daltrey’s slight-

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Daltrey, left, and Townshend, are the only two remaining members of The Who’s original lineup. The band dug way back early on, opening with early hits “I Can’t Explain” and “Substitute.”