I personnally like the keyboard additions a lot.
True, the stripped-down, 4-piece 78/79 versions of the early songs had this unique charming pub atmosphere.
But the enhanced versions were amazing too. Best example to me is News - the keys and the Hammond organ changed this little tune into an epic tragedy ! Other examples are Lions, WDYTYG (which I think dmg you once said the best versions were in 81, which I agree although I think it is more thanks to the extra guitar solo than thanks to the keys), OUATITW, and of course Sultans. I love the bass-ass versions of Sultans with sax, although I have to admit than in 91/92 there was very little keyboards on it (more pedal steel).
Maybe you are right in a sense that in the OES tour Mark drastically reduced the contributions of both AC and GF on keys and synth compared to the BIA tour, where they were overused at any rate. So probably Mark is able to listen to criticism after all
but then there was way too much pedal steel in the OES tour...