I saw the ABB every year from 1990 through 2001. I didn't see Derek & Jimmy as a lineup, but I did see Jimmy & Warren play with Gregg, Oteil, Butch & Jaimoe as a surprise ABB in Dec 2000.

Arriving at the 2001 Beacon, while disappointed that Dickey had departed, it was very exciting that I was going to get see Warren and Chuck together in the ABB. We felt pretty confident Warren was going to stay with the band and I was even holding out hope Chuck would jump on board (after his 4 nights with the ABB at Beacon he went on tour with the Mule which at many shows also included Oteil.....of course, he has understandably stayed loyal to the Stones).

I was at 3/25/01 and was really, really strong. I heard Mountain Jam for my first time ever. Chuck played for about 75 minutes with the band. We walked away thinking the ABB is going to be more than fine....different, but more than fine. We quickly got the announcement on this site after the run was over that Warren had formally rejoined the band.

Yes, it was an odd time, but it was also exciting with Warren's return and Chuck for 4 final nights in NYC.

Never realized that they busted out Rocking Horse that early. I know it was supposed to be on BWIAB, but tells me that Warren saw the potential to keep moving the band forward and thus become a full time member again.

Following on Tim's comments, it seemed like a band again and Warren seemed like he was in it on a more permanent basis even though he was labelled a special guest. That was my feeling as I saw it. I went opening weekend, and I remember being pleasantly surprised at how tight they were. And there were lots of "new" songs. They introduced 3 or 4 new songs (Desdemona, Who to Believe), dusted off some older songs (Worried Down, Bullets Fly, Rocking Horse) and some new cover tunes (Loving You Too Long). It just didn't feel like a one-off run for this lineup with all the effort that went into it. I especially liked that they dove into the Epic years, which was a natural given Warren's previous tenure.

I have a specific memory of how tight they sounded on High Falls on the first Saturday night. Shame they let that tune go after that run.

I had seen the Jimmy/Derek lineup the previous summer/fall, and I was already irritated with the Reekin' @ the Beacon CD release, so by that point I wasn't as disappointed at Dickey not being there. The band seemed fresh and tight at the same time, and it was exciting. Felt like a new beginning.

I'm a huge (YUGE) Jimmy fan, especially Jimmy w/ Derek. But that lineup in summer 2000 was missing a band-leader, songwriter, and a second lead vocalist to sing 1/3 of the songs. With the Beacon 2001 run those holes were all filled with Warren's presence, and it was quite apparent immediately. I actually think Warren's roles as songwriter, 2nd lead vocalist, and on-stage bandleader were more important than his guitar playing, if that makes any sense (given that Jack, Derek, Jimmy did admirable jobs as guitarists). With the Jimmy/Derek lineup, it didn't feel like they could carry-on. At least not the way it felt after the Beacon 2001 run.

Also, just a point of clarification, Jimmy never did a Beacon run in the band, other than guest sit-ins. The Derek/Dickey lineup did the 2000 Beacon run (Jackie P. / Dickey did '99 Beacon run). Jimmy's time in the band was only the 3-4 months in 2000, other than a few one-off fill-ins for unavailable members later on (One for Woody, Christmas Jam 2000, Wanee).

[Edited on 10/10/2016 by Zambi]