In mid-September 2006, I was invited to go see The Who in concert at Madison Square Garden. In all candor, I didn’t know what to expect from a band that my dad rocked out to when he was a kid. It wouldn’t have surprised me if the Pete Townshend, age 61, smashed his walker instead of his guitar at the end show. Would Ringo Starr’s son, Zak Starkey, serve as a viable replacement for the eccentric drummer Keith Moon who died roughly 25 years ago from an over dose of alcohol prevention medication? Will lead singer Roger Daltrey still be the real deal?

When I walked into MSG, I became additionally pessimistic as I realized that the median age of the crowd was about 55. I mused at a man next to me, about the age of my grandfather, with a beer in one hand and a joint in the other. I thought, if nothing else, it would be a cultural experience.

When they opened with “I Can’t Explain,” I realized that it would be more than that. The Who immediately proved “who” they are. The song was on key although the studio version was recorded roughly 40 years ago. Daltrey’s voice was still in tact, Townshend was still pin wheeling his arm to strum his guitar, and Starkey’s presence on the drum was strikingly similar to Keith Moon’s.

“Won’t Get Fooled Again,” “Behind Blue Eyes,” and “Who Are You,” were equally impressive. The highlight of the evening, without doubt, was Daltrey’s harmonica solo in “Baba O’Reilly,” one of the band’s most famous songs. In the studio version, this segment of the song is performed on a violin. The fact that Daltrey flawlessly replicated it on a harmonica makes it additionally remarkable.

Perhaps the most unexpected element of the performance was their stage presence. Daltrey’s ability to aerobically prance about the stage was exemplary for anyone his age, especially considering that he experimented with, well, many substances in his younger years for which there is less tolerance today. In addition, his microphone was extensively taped to its extension cord to allow him to perform his signature move: the propeller swing. As the name suggests, he recklessly flails his microphone around like a propeller. Clearly, there were still remnants of Daltrey’s wilder, reckless, youth. But this doesn’t go to say that he hasn’t matured since the band’s prime.

The songs they performed from their new album, Endless Wire, released on October 31st, 2006, are signs that Townshend and Daltrey have grown up. Their mature side and the wild side of their youth can be equally appreciated. The band’s ability to acclimate to their age, and to adopt a softer form of rock, has paved a promising future for the band. A future for a band that originated a half-century ago…that’s unheard of.

When the band came out for an encore, members of the crowd shouted “smash-um!” in unison. In so doing, they were, of course, urging the band to break their guitars on stage at they had done at so many concerts years ago. The band took a different road, however— a road that was, for them, the road less traveled. They concluded with a pleasant acoustic piece featuring the two veterans. Townshend gracefully glided his fingers over the strings of his acoustic guitar as Daltrey sang and sported a tea cup to illustrate the song’s title, “Tea and Theatre.” This will not be their last cup of tea however, as the two 60-year-olds are here to stay, perhaps for another half century.