Roger Daltrey performs at the Borgata

When the Who is on - it's really on. Maybe it hasn't always been as consistently ferocious or tuneful a live act as it once was. Then again, are you good at every aspect of what you've been doing since 1964?

The pairing of roaring Cockney singer Roger Daltrey and ruminative songwriter/guitarist Pete Townshend defines classic rock's rawest passions. When they're in fine fettle. But with Townshend occupied with writing another musical (à la Tommy) Daltrey, 65, isn't ready for semiretirement. Hence his intimate-venue "Use It or Lose It" show that sold out two nights at the Borgata's Music Box Friday and Saturday.

The tanned and husky-voiced Daltrey, still with a thick set of golden curls atop his head, said "until the old man decides to start touring again" this singer would perform Who songs that haven't been dragged out in "yonks." He wasn't kidding.

Daltrey and his ensemble (including vocalist/guitarist Simon Townshend - Pete's younger brother) did Who hits when Daltrey wasn't busy blabbing his head off.

They stripped down "Who Are You?" to its origins in Shepherd's Bush blues. Without blipping synths, its unfettered pluck allowed Daltrey's scuffed machismo its full flower. This proved true throughout the show. Without the band's volume raging to 11, Daltrey's nuanced roar could be better heard on the rangy "Behind Blue Eyes" and on a guttural cover of Mose Allison's "Young Man Blues."

Though Daltrey was at ease taking on tunes by his hero Johnny Cash as well as Hooters Eric Bazilian and Rob Hyman (the buoyant jig of "Freedom Ride," the pedestrian "Gimme a Stone") it was his partner's catalog of rarities that were most triumphant.

Daltrey might not possess all of the highs his vocal range once scaled, but with the heavenly harmonies of his band behind him, "Pictures of Lily" was sweet and swinging. While the Who's take on a boy's rite of passage, "Tattoo," jangled and kicked, "I Can See for Miles" found Daltrey controlling his gentle crooning cool against a repetitive coda. Nicely played, guv.

Opening act Paper Zoo did a brilliant job of engaging the mixed-age crowd with a brand of koo-koo-ka-choo glam pop that sounded equally inspired by Paul McCartney and Freddie Mercury.