The Who began a North American with full engery tour two-hour show that was steeped in melancholy. The two surviving original members of the group, Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey, stepped onto the stage and hugged each other. They wore black trousers and shirts.''I just wanted to say that tonight we played for John Entwistle,'' Mr. Daltrey said after opening the show with longtime hits like ''I Can't Explain'' and ''Substitute.'' ''He was the true spirit of rock 'n' roll, and he lives on in the music we play.''Midway through the show, Townsend said ''For fans that have followed us for many years, this is going to be very difficult,'' said Mr. Townshend, the group's guitarist-songwriter. ''We understand. We're not pretending nothing has happened.
A friend of mine just disappeared from the front row. It was too difficult.''The other longtime member of the Who, the drummer Keith Moon, died in 1978 of a drug overdose. Today the drummer is Zak Starkey, the son of Ringo Starr. At the end of the show, pictures of Entwistle at various stages of his life were shown on the large screens flanking the stage of the Bowl, which was crammed with more than 18,000 fans of the group that shot to stardom in the storied British invasion of the 1960's. Many are in their 40's, 50's and higher, and they screamed, applauded, raised their fists and and gave the Who an exuberant welcome. Standing ovations followed most songs, and many people simply stood throughout the show.
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