"you can recognise Peter by just two notes"....take his bit-part on Peter Gabriel's "Up" album in 2004. It is just a few notes, but you KNOW it's Peter Green. Couldn't be anyone else.
I think we all agree that we hope Peter isn't wheeled on stage by someone hoping to use his name for their own financial gain. I like to think that Nigel Watson got involved in the whole Splinter Group thing because he genuinely thought it was helping Peter...indeed for the first few years it probably did. I will always remember Peter's comments in the Hard Road documentary "I love playing, I love appearing. It's really great, you know"...."Nothing's gonna stop me now"...but clearly he doesn't always feel this way. But maybe Nigel pushed too far, or took too much control. Its something we just don't know about.
Another great musician in a somewhat similar situation, who I have seen perform live and from very close to the stage...Brian Wilson. Now there's a guy who has good and bad concerts. I was privileged to be at one of the best, and the guy was on fire with energy for much of the show. He was keenly aware of his audience, mugged for my camera and smiled at me a lot...But other nights I know he was lackluster...I have the 'unofficial DVDs'...I suspect Peter has good and bad days, days when he feels pumped up at the prospect of performing in front of an audience and days when he'd rather go watch a DVD with a cuppa.
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