The Who Rocked the Super Bowl Halftime Show...

OK, frontman Roger Daltrey admitted at a pregame press conference that he’s never been to a football game, or rather that he’s never been to what we Americans call a football game. But let’s forget that and think about Who mastermind Pete Townshend’s songs.

Think about the furious, Homeric anthems that are “Baba O’Riley,” “Who Are You” and “Won’t Get Fooled Again.” The Who at its biggest is the sonic equivalent of football. The whole aesthetic of the modern NFL is based on the energy, hype and force found in a Who crescendo.

Of course when Daltrey and Townshend aren’t allowed to fully reach those crescendos it’s a lot harder to feel all that energy. And yet with just 12 minutes allotted to their halftime set, the classic-rock duo and its hired guns - including a thundering Zak Starkey (yes, that’s Ringo’s kid) behind the kit - did a stupendous job of sounding epic.

At first it seemed like it would be disastrous. Neither Daltrey nor Townshend were hitting their notes on the shaky, one-minute excerpt from “Pinball Wizard” and the entire sound was mighty thin. Then the band jumped its storied trifecta and suddenly Daltrey could sing and Townshend was brilliantly, jaggedly, frenetically slashing at his guitar.

From the first notes of that iconic keyboard sound, the force began to build around “Baba O’Riley.” Somehow the band got right at the heart of the tune while chopping it in half. It also seemed to give the performance a confidence that carried through until the end.

“Who Are You” upped the volume and, again cutting the tune in half, managed to feel surprisingly full. Townshend slammed through the chords like a kid and embellished the breaks with angry, messy little solos - surely the ugliest guitar to ever grace the Super Bowl stage. Once wound up, the axeman seemed to forget he was just a side act to the big show; you got the impression he wanted to dive into a complete “Quadrophenia.”

After a thankfully quick transition through “See Me, Feel Me,” the band finished with “Won’t Get Fooled Again.” Again, the song was condensed but The Who figured out how to squeeze maximum fury from the tune. Daltrey’s YAAAAAAAAAAH! still gives you the chills.

Maybe the best commercial of the game, The Who’s performance sadly isn’t hyping a new album or tour. Instead it was just a smart branding move by the NFL and 12 minutes of great rock ’n’ roll. Oh, yeah, and maybe some not-so-subliminal messaging by CBS aimed at getting you to watch “CSI.” (Boston Herald)