Velvis
Not a beginner
Fan overheard in 1986: "Oh my God, wasn't Johnny Marr amazing? His guitar playing in 'I Know It's Over' was just...beautiful!"
Fan overheard in 2012: "Oh my God, wasn't Jesse amazing? He made it through the entire set without a goof".
The bar seems to have been lowered...
I don't think the odd bum note means anything.
I'm a musician and from my experience the players who never make a mistake tend to be 'clinical' and play with less 'feel' than players who have a more 'free' approach, this is especially true of guitarists I find.