The Who bade farewell to Kentucky last night before a sellout crowd of 23,000 at Rupp Arena.

On what is being widely understood as the last American tour by a seminal group that is one of the most influential rock bands in history, The Who steamed through a two-hour set of material from various phases of their 18-year career.

Despite the views of many writers who have cited The Who as an aging lot whose best moments have long since become history, the British quartet offered a very credible presentation, especially considering the huge audience scale they have played to on their current tour.

From the opening chords of "Substitute," The Who's sense of history and its current group stance merged into a clear, telling balance.

Vocalist Roger Daltrey is still a very commanding front man, who rides the terse grounds of guitarist-songwriter Peter Townshend's works like "I Can't Explain" and the classic "Behind Blue Eyes" with varied, but equally comparable ease.

The latter work, a spooky, vengeful ballad best known from the group's 1971 album Who's Next, had most of the Rupp crowd singing along before the song broke into a frenzied conclusion.

Bassist John Entwistle remains a marked contrast to the rest of the group. While the other members of the group bounded around stage last night to their hearts' content, Entwistle remained a motionless anchor of calm, preferring instead to speak through songs like "The Quiet One," and through his rapid, pounding bass work.

Daltrey's physical energy onstage is still quite remarkable, from his patented lassoing of the microphone cord to his furious running in place during "Who Are You."

For this tour, Daltrey was also put to work as rhythm guitarist for a few of the newer songs from The Who's most recent album, It's Hard.

This "farewell" tour has also welcomed some of the best work so far from drummer Kenny Jones. Last night, as well as in a concert by The Who last month in Louisville, Jones gave his first real signs of playing as a true band member instead of just a side man.

Who fans may never forget the wild, reckless stage presence of the late Keith Moon, whom Jones replaced in 1978. Jones has a sharper but slightly restrained style that fits in very well with the current music of the group.

Of course, The Who begin and end with Peter Townshend, whose songs and stage presence have fueled a generation of musicians and fans alike.

Last night, looking younger and healthier than he has in years, Townshend took over the helm of the group for the concert's two best performances.

On "Eminence Front," a quirky story where self-importance and pretentious appearances preside as the human condition ("The shares crash, hopes are dashed/people forget they're hiding"), Townshend shuffled across stage like a limbless puppet while The Who gave the piece a cool, but no less vital, workout.

But on "Drowned," from The Who's 1973 opera Quadrophenia, the exact opposite held true.

Taking over lead vocals (as he did on "Eminence Front"), Townshend led the group through an extended, all-stops-out jam with Daltrey fuming away on harmonica. Owing a little to the youthful energy of the band's past, "Drowned" was the loosest and most spontaneous performance of the evening.

Townshend's stage antics — his boundless leaps into the air, his windmilling guitar chords — were still visual high points that the audience could associate with.

His stage work was especially gracious compared to the toned-down appearances he gave earlier in the tour.

Keyboardist Tim Gorman helped round out the group's sound, but his work was kept far away from action onstage, as he had to perform in an upstage corner, practically surrounded by speakers.

Last night's concert followed the same basic form as earlier dates of the tour, but there were a few surprises.

For example, "My Generation" was dropped as the set opener, but added later on in the show were the long-popular "I Can See for Miles" and an obscure, seldom performed work called "Tattoo."

Lexington Herald/Charles Bertram Guitarist Peter Townshend performs at Rupp Arena.