Talk about saving face.

 

Thirty years after singing, "I hope I die before I get old," The Who need a bigger reason for a reunion tour than most old-timers.

 

So it wasn't the oldies circuit that brought them to the Molson Amphitheatre last night -- their second visit here since playing their "last-ever" show at Maple Leaf Gardens in 1982 -- but an ambitious production of their 1973 concept album Quadrophenia.

 

Armed with a 10-piece band, extra singers and a storyline about a mixed-up mod in 1964 London -- outlined with monologues from main character Jimmy, played by an actor projected on a screen -- The Who awkwardly went about presenting something bigger than themselves.

 

Still, original members Pete Townshend, Roger Daltrey and John Entwistle weren't fooling anyone.

 

Townshend's famous windmill guitar moves, Entwistle's dazzling bass solo, and Daltrey's trademark lassooing mike chord were what the crowd of 12,000 was there to see.

 

When The Who encored with a string of hits that included a loose acoustic version of Won't Get Fooled Again, Behind Blue Eyes, and rocked-up mod hits Substitute and Can't Explain, it felt like a payoff.

 

As for their 100-minute run through of Quadrophenia: It could have been more cohesive. With all that attention to mod detail on screen, could Daltrey not have changed out of his denim work shirt for the night? But it had its moments.

 

While the Amphitheatre's din buried the many rough spots in the vocal performances, Daltrey's voice showed particular wear on marathon closers The Rock and Love Reign O'er Me.

 

It was shoddy enough for one fan to yell, "Pete! Help him!"

 

Onstage performers P.J. Proby, who played the aging rocker "Godfather" character, and Ben Waters -- suited up as the Ace Face mod -- paled in comparison to Daltrey and Townshend, but that may have been the point.

 

Daltrey managed to save himself up for some fine turns, as on 5.15 and I've Had Enough. Townshend was in top form for the sputtering acoustic guitar work on Drowned. Entwistle is simply the best bass player in rock music and has been since he was 21.

 

There was solid backing guitar and vocals from Townshend's brother, Simon. Drummer Zak Starkey, son of Ringo Starr, deserves major props for being strong and on-the-mark without trying to fill the shoes of the late, great Keith Moon.

 

Factor in some exciting mod vs. rocker fight scenes from Quadrophenia's 1979 film adaptation, and you've got a decent show.

 

But as the music and concept grew increasingly ponderous -- culminating with a pat, "I'm-okay-yer-okay" ending slapped on a story of confusion and violence -- one thing seemed missing: The point.

 

SUN RATING 3 OUT OF 5 <