I've been levelling bard 50 to 60 recently and while I can appreciate how big of an adjustment it is to play style for existing main bards once you get wanderers minuet (I only play it on the side), I also think bard was too simple pre 50. It's kind of like the complaints I've heard about blm in so far as "omg I have to actually think to do my job now not just spam the same buttons over and over". I also took blm to 60 and was rather impressed as well. The new skills add a new layer of complexity to the job(s) and I think it's actually been really fun to try to master them. I think se did a good job with both bard and blm in expansion. And honestly damage doesn't seem like such an issue for bard. I'm consistently doing more than most party members in all the duties I've been in (yeah that's not raid content I know). At first no, because it was hard at level 52 to make the movement adjustments, but given the practice it's not as bad as people make it out to be.