He has the same problem as David, desperately trying to keep the 'Straits-sound' alive, whatever they think it is or where they thought it was going.
I see no problem with 'keeping the DS sound alive'.
He (Alan) is making some money for some time with very less effort, i mean, he is playing the same thing over the years and making money with it. It's fun and, for good or bad, he is bringing the Dire Straits to people who would never have a chance to see it.
Alan is a big figure thru the DS history, his influence on 80's MK is clear as day.
I believe that Alan didn't want to leave Eric's band do re-join DS.
After 93/94, i believe that he chooses to not be on a major artist's band.
The thing with Alan is that he is like a Persona Non Grata for most of MK fans and, maybe, for MK himself.
I never knew why Alan didn't play on that 2002 charity concerts.
David, for me its the opposite to 'keep the DS sound alive'
His albums are almost pure sh*t until Wishbones and he still stuck on the same piano chord progression since A Father And The Son.
Except for some songs like Easy Street, David is away from the early days of Dire Straits.
Well, he needs money sometimes, so... he plays some DS songs on his shows.