As a Music Veteran, George Harrison Didn’t Need His Ego Boosted by Touring
George Harrison said he didn’t need touring to boost his ego. As a seasoned professional who toured for many years during the height of Beatlemania, George was done with that part of his life. After his 1974 Dark Horse tour, his ego had been satisfied.
George Harrison didn’t have the best luck when it came to touring
In The Beatles’ early days, they did a residency in Hamburg, Germany. George loved it. The group had to perform all night, and it was exhausting, but they honed their performance skills. They learned to improvise and be creative.
Then, The Beatles did touring circuits throughout the U.K. When their popularity skyrocketed in the U.S. and the world, The Beatles began touring throughout Beatlemania.
Suddenly, they couldn’t go anywhere without hoards of girls chasing after them and trying to pull fists full of hair from their heads. Toward 1966, George was worn out. He was paranoid that someone would kill them, and his nervous system was shot.
Thankfully, The Beatles stopped touring that year and suddenly had more time to experiment in the recording studio. Years later, it seemed strange that one of the first things George did in his post-Beatles career was organizing one of the first benefit concerts in music history, the Concert for Bangladesh. With how much he disliked touring, George should’ve been the last person to organize it.
At least it was successful, but his Dark Horse tour three years later wasn’t. He refused to play Beatles songs for the first leg, and fans and the press didn’t like it. He’d also shredded his voice before starting the tour and added long Indian music sessions to the setlist.
George came home mentally and physically exhausted. After that, he swore off touring for years.
George said he didn’t need touring to satisfy his ego
By 1987, George had played a few concerts here and there but hadn’t toured since 1974. George told Anthony DeCurtis (per George Harrison on George Harrison: Interviews and Encounters) that touring was hard work. As a solo artist, it was even harder because he had to get a band, crew, and everyone else together. It was like planning an invasion.
He couldn’t do just a couple of gigs either because all of the work wouldn’t be justified. So, that would mean he’d have to go on the road for about six months to make it all worth it, which he wasn’t willing to do.
He explained, “If you could do that and edit [together] all the good bits that I really liked out of it and get back the energy that was spent on the times where we were suffering in some crummy motel someplace, you know?”
George said it was much easier touring as a youth. However, in 1987, he was 44 years old. His ego didn’t need to have “all these people shouting at me or waving at me,” he said. There was still a thrill of being in a band and performing, but everything else that came with it was a hassle for George.
The former Beatle’s ego was satisfied
George didn’t need much to feel comfortable in himself and his life by 1987, not even music and certainly not touring.
Even in 1979, when George spoke with Rolling Stone, he said he didn’t need much to satisfy his ego. It had already been filled during his time with The Beatles. The amount of ego-filling he’d received lasted him the rest of his life.
He told Rolling Stone that every novelty in the record business had worn off for him, having been in the business for so long. “Really, it comes down to ego,” he said. “You have to have a big ego in order to keep plodding on being in the public eye. If you want to be popular and famous, you can do it; it’s dead easy if you have that ego desire. But most of my ego desires as far as being famous and successful were fulfilled a long time ago.”
Fortunately, George toured one last time in 1991. He and Eric Clapton’s band did a 12-show tour of Japan. It was successful and rewarding. However, George didn’t need much in life to make himself happy. All he needed was his spirituality.
