re: pete's finickiness in 1989

[Sroundtable@xxxxxxx]

> All of a sudden the '89 tour seems like a bad dream.  A bit> of a swindle.  I, for one, felt somewhat cheated.  Why couldn't the decis-> ion to tour as a 5-piece been made in 1989?  Chalk another > one up to> Pete's finickiness, I guess.
My theory is that Pete felt sort of trapped into doing the tour due to the 25th anniversary thing.  Pete performs much better when things are more on his own terms.  I think that is what finally got to him about the Who and why he decided to break it up in 1982.  To offset Pete's feelings of reluctancy, he put together the "big band" to take much of the spotlight off of him, allowing him to twiddle away on acoustic guitar and direct the show more than play it.  Maybe he just wanted to have a chance to enjoy the show himself w/o the usual pressure of tearing into guitar riffs.  Who knows?  But one thing we all know: geniuses like Pete Townshend are ALWAYS finicky and enigmatic, to an extent.  It just goes with the territory.  Being a genius is a huge burden to carry for some, which is why so many turn to vices such as drugs and alcohol.  I think Pete's genius has become less delicate and more disciplined and refined as he has gotten older (hence inspired performances in 2000 and 2002).
mc