Like it or not, when the audience sees a guy playing guitar, they know it's not a track of some kind (even though it may BE). I have to admit that on a couple of occasions where a venue insisted on at least a duo, I had a friend, who could barely strum a guitar, go along and strum in time with the music. He was not plugged in to the p.a. Lots of remarks about how great the BAND sounded.
Go figure.