1. 'Playing out' was never the 'end all' for me in music, nor did I ever desire to try to make a living through music. For one thing, given the level and quality of talent out there during my 'playing out' years, I never deluded myself into thinking I was good enough to make a living this way.

2. Age and health considerations. There comes a time when the hassle of preparation, set lists of tunes you don't want to play :), setup/teardown of equipment/equip. insurance/chasing bookings/night driving. Without the incentive of having to do it to feed the family, it's hard to dredge up the desire to play out. This is magnified if it involves other people (band members).

chas