Now that The Who has announced plans to reunite for a summer tour, guitarist Pete Townshend explains his longstanding reservations about playing live.

"The reason I haven't performed live for a long time is that I have severe hearing damage," Townshend tells People magazine. "I've actually disabled myself doing my job and it's painful and frustrating."

Townshend says he will use an acoustic guitar during the upcoming tour. "If I expose myself to loud electric guitars, particularly my own, my hearing suffers. So I've decided to play a bit like John Denver. I believe I can make an acoustic guitar sound electric anyway."