You know, this thing with Pete, I think it just comes down to, he was a boring guy. We've seen the interviews and read the stories and of course the STORY is interesting to us, but he is so deadpan and unexciting. Compare him to any of the other guys, even the guys who WEREN'T in the band (except Mal) and he just wasn't a character. John and Paul knew they needed a character to make things work. They had great vision. Ringo was that guy. Ringo was also a better player. But besides that, they just didn't mesh with Pete.
I think it would be a real TRAVESTY if Paul played a set with Pete because he hasn't played a set with Ringo since 1969. He has turned down every opportunity that has come up to play with Ringo. I'm not talking the few songs at Concert for George or Anthology or his recent birthday. Those don't count. An actual, sit down, hour long jam out/concert has not happened and we all know Ringo is chomping at the bit for it to go down, not to mention all us Beatles fans. Ringo has consistently invited him to his all-star jams and Paul declines. So he won't even do THAT.
Furthermore, John saying the early years were the Beatles at their best was most likely his reaction to the hatred of the shaping and molding of his Beatles persona. The Hamburg Beatles could do whatever they wanted, play what they wanted, wear, eat, drink and f*** anything they wanted. John was still essentially in charge and all these things catered to, and stroked, his ego and rebellious nature. Of course he'd look back at all this fondly. But it was happening DESPITE Pete Best. Pete was just ...there.