Brian Price
There were middle-aged men and women in green Mod Parkas, Union Jack shirts and target logo T-shirts jumping up and down. You Better, You Bet The Who were about to arrive on stage at Bristol's Ashton Gate Stadium.
The 20,000-strong crowd were already on their feet - including those in the seats emblazoned with the names of Bristol City season ticket holders - when, on the stroke of 8.30pm, The Who bound on stage to a rapturous welcome.
Frontman Roger Daltrey may look more like a schoolteacher these days wearing a green patterned shirt and smart glasses. But guitarist Pete Townshend looked the epitome of rock'n'roll in cool shades and tight-fitting white T-shirt.
They launched into a version of I Can't Explain - their first ever single released more than 40 years ago in 1965.
Next up was The Seeker with its killer opening guitar rift and lyrics.
Roger Daltrey recently admitted he and Pete Townshend cannot stand the sight of each other off stage.
Some might argue such a fraught relationship might have soured any chemistry and enthusiasm the two surviving original members of The Who have for their live performances.
Well, on the evidence of their barnstorming show at Ashton Gate, the tension that exists between the pair seems to give The Who an extra impetus on stage.
Despite both men being in their sixties, the energy on display was a joy to witness.
On stage, Townshend, 61, and Daltrey, 62, were augmented by drummer Zak Starkey, son of Beatles legend Ringo Starr, bass guitarist Pino Palladino, Townshend's brother Simon on second guitar, and John Bundrick on keyboards. They became the latest in a line of rock legends to play at the football stadium, following appearances by Sir Elton John, Rod Stewart and Neil Diamond.
Last night's show was The Who's first Bristol gig for more than 35 years.
The original line-up of Daltrey, Townshend, bassist John Entwistle and drummer Keith Moon rocked Bristol Hippodrome on December 4, 1969.
At that time, they might have been considered the bad boys of British rock, with hotel managers losing count of the number of suites they wrecked and the band's own roadies facing the nightly task of clearing up the debris of smashed guitars, trashed drum kits and blown-up amplifiers.
But don't forget The Who produced some of the greatest singles of the 60s, entertained the world with the manic energy of their live shows, conquered Woodstock and even invented the rock opera.
Daltrey and Townshend have seen it all, done it all and bought a shop-full of T-shirts - but last night they showed they could still perform like they were in their 20s all over again.
Some say it is a travesty they never had a Number One single in the UK or USA. Maybe, when you see the band sounding as loud, proud and brash as ever, does it matter?
In any case, when today's music charts are so farcical - and with Top of the Pops recently consigned to history - a couple of men just short of their pensions showed the West exactly what rock'n'roll was, is, and always will be about.
