It was Mark's choice I believe. Taking it too hard I don't know, you should ask Danny but that may have been tough. I've been missing Danny since then. Ian is a great drummer but Danny played with his heart and I felt that he brought something else which was, at least to me, something beyond music.
I moaned for years about it, I mean, I MOANED and still moan A LOT… but that's Mark's last tour so I decided to enjoy it anyway.
Yes, Danny seems to have great fun on this tour too which is great to watch. I like the energy and positive attitude that he has always brought on stage, from the OES years to today. It's great to have him on percussions as it's a real addition to many songs… Plus, drummer and percussionist seem to be good friends so I'll live with that for now.
I still dream of seeing Danny behind the drums again -- once again, no offense to Ian -- and I still hope it may happen one day.