Cynics may argue — and rightfully so — that The Who can't possibly be The Who anymore without the primal drumming of Keith Moon and towering bass presence of John Entwistle. But from start to finish, Daltrey, Townshend and an accomplished crew of side players gave it their best working-class Union Jack-waving go of it.

The Who's stage was a surprisingly no-frills affair, devoid of lasers, special effects, elaborate lighting rigs or even video effects. The message? The music and musicianship should still be potent enough to send you home sated, pal.

And bless 'em, Daltrey and Townshend delivered what amounted to an altogether satisfying tour through The Who's monumental catalogue of past glories — with near-zero filler.

Clad from head-to-toe in black, with worn sneaks and a killer blue-eyed glare, Townshend, in particular, looked ready to kick the posterior of anyone bold enough to call him retirement ready.

The first of Townshend's signature guitar windmills arrived two minutes into the song, with Daltrey's first signature microphone swing besting it by exactly one minute, 58 seconds.

Early career Who faves "Substitute" and "Anyway Anyhow Anywhere" followed. By trio's end, all it took was the synth opening of "Baba O'Riley" to generate ear-shattering approval from the Boomer-heavy, herbally enhanced Blaisdell crowd.

Daltrey — decked casually in a loose button-down shirt, tight faded jeans and teal wire-rim shades — possessed a vox still capable of stunning range and speaker-decimating punch. His best moments in a mid-show run of hits included "O'Riley," "Who Are You" and "Love Reign O'er Me."

On a sour note, a powerhouse medley of "My Generation" and the Entwistle tribute "Old Red Wine" finally motivated grown adults in the back seats — who really should've known better — to beat down woefully understaffed floor security in a mad rush toward the stage. The far younger crowd at 50 Cent knew how to treat its own better.

Townshend's rigorously inventive and polished guitar playing offered moments of wonderful-to-watch brilliance, comparable — and perhaps better — than anything out of his ax-smashing youth. He was, at all times, simply amazing.

A set-closing "Won't Get Fooled Again" had Townshend nearly fist-pounding his ax into woodchips and showing off his closetful of guitar-god poses, including a couple of well-planned concluding leaps.

Daltrey, for his part, wasn't capable of carrying off the song's required waking-up-the-dead screams and wisely opted out of trying.

Offering fluid backup for the duo throughout were longtime Who keyboardist John "Rabbit" Bundrick (solid synths on "O'Riley" and "Who Are You"), bassist Pino Palladino (channeling Entwistle's sublime power) and rhythm guitarist Simon Townshend (Pete's able, if subdued, bro).

The most impressive of The Who's substitutes, drummer Zak Starkey matched and challenged Townshend's potent ax-grinding on his own terms, wisely avoiding any hint of Moon-lighting.

The evening ended with a suite of songs from "Tommy" that, while sweet, couldn't help come off a tad lackluster after the raucous warhorses that preceded it. An amazing rendition of "Amazing Journey/Sparks," however, was a highlight here.

A good deal of Daltrey's and Townshend's on-stage bravado after four decades of playing live together might be — as one armchair critic near me suggested — Who-by-the-numbers for the duo.

But we'd all be fortunate, indeed, if all rock legends carried off the familiar with as much real good-looking panache as The Who still does.