What's not to love?

I went to all three of those shows. Was it Sunday they played "Walk On Gilded Splinters"? I particularly liked the "Stormy Monday".

I attended all three shows, too! I also caught the DTB at the Atlanta Falcons pre-game mini show on Sunday morning!

All were above average performances (in my book). You get three different takes on "Dreams" (the only song repeated over three nights - featuring Jack, Derek and Warren in that order.

The Fox Box is my "go to" music when driving long distances.
Also listening frequently to the final concert at the Beacon.

What a great weekend in Atlanta. I went to Friday night's show with a couple of buddies and it was a great show. Jack was a pleasant surprised and he was fantastic on Dreams and I believe the encore. Franklin's Tower - Why Does Love Have to Be So Sad was a highlight of the evening.

Saturday was couples night for us and we took a friend & his wife who had not seen the ABB in a number of years. We were treated to a great setlist that included some new and old and some big surprises. We had front row balcony seats which are amazing at the Fox.

That Saturday night show opened with the Les Bres (High Falls) type elegant intro before breaking into Don't Want You No More.

They did the best Good Clean Fun I think this band ever played...it down right swings. The crowd was pretty respectful for the quieter Old Before My Time. That one was never quite the same outside the studio but this night was one of the better live takes on that haunting tune.

Right before the came out for the second set I said "they've been playing The Night They Drove Ole Dixie Down" and boom 30 seconds later they were playing it....and did one of the rare flawless versions. Derek sounded wonderful. Leave My Blues At Home was one of the Oteil highlights right after. Gregg & Warren shared lead vocals on Key To The Highway and we knew it was already an interesting setlist night.

The second set also included a big surprise with the first Blue Sky played since Dickey left the band and Gregg sounded great on vocals, while the band played it much closer to the original arrangement than they were doing in the late 90s. The crowd was in half shock / half pure joy when it started.

Susan came out and we got a very romantic Don't Think Twice It's Alright with Derek complimenting her perfectly.

Vaylor Trucks came out for a hopping, tight One Way Out and his guitar style added some extra ying to Derek and Warren's ying/yang.

Derek was sublime on Dreams.

And then they went back into Les Bres in A Minor for possibly the best version ever done by this lineup.

They returned for an encore of Layla, which almost lifted the roof off the Fox. Derek brought it home with such finesse and soul on the coda.

Whew! What back to back nights (I should have come back for a third!).

Effie, if you dig back a few pages you can probably find a thread about the Fox Box shows that is similar to the one I just made about 7/24/05. That run is another very strong contender for the high water mark of the most recent (and apparently final) ABB lineup.

That Saratoga show may be better than any individual Fox show, but the whole weekend of the Fox shows in 2004 was very special. As a fan experience, it really was a highlight of any ABB fan who was lucky enough to be there, and a great celebration of the band.

There may be other single shows that are better from the past 15 years, but I don't think you will find a better 3-show run. At least, not outside of the Beacon.

It's hard to pin this kind of thing down because it's very subjective, but the peak of the Derek/Warren band was somewhere between 9/24/04 and 7/24/05.

The version of Franklin's Tower is my favorite ever. I wasn't there, but judging from the crowd, it may have been the first time the lyrics were included. The crowd seemed totally shocked/ pumped when Oteil sang that first line.

Is this a trick question?

As I have mentioned in the past, these shows are terrific but the mix is below par. The muddiness of these recordings keeps all three shows out of the regular rotation.

I too was at all three shows....:)

I saw Oteil in a restaurant and talked to him before one of the shows and mentioned that they should play "Georgia" since I had seen him do it the year before. He said " I need to work on that" and played it that night... and Warrens solo in Les Brers on Saturday night. Jack Pearson Dreams on Friday night.....

Some of my favorite shows that weekend..... 😛

This is a no brainer. I have posted before that I have attended over 20 shows at The Beacon (all great), but nothing compares to seeing those three shows in Atlanta. As mentioned, the only song repeated was Dreams all three nights. Cool how they had a different lead each night.

On Friday, a few of us went to The Big House. Kirsten West said that Phil Lesh was going to sit in that night but of course it didn't happen.

Every night had its moments. Opening the first night with Mountain Jam was cool as hell. Jack Pearson as a guest was awesome.

The second night was my least favorite, although they did play Layla.

And the Sunday night close was off the charts. I don't even like Liz Reed but Rob Barraco playing with Gregg was spine tingling.

Hands down, the highlight of my ABB experiences.

As an aside, I think the sound on the Instant Lives in fine. I think Hittin' the Note still has the Saturday show available. The other two nights are gone I guess.

Just to show miileage varies....The Saturday show may be my favorite and is the most played in our house over the past decade. It is certainly a unique ABB setlist.

I think the Instant Lives sound good, too... Sometimes, ABB recordings with Derek/Warren can sound a little "metal-ish" and not old school Gibson/Marshall sounding (whereas the actual shows normally had very Allman sounding guitar mix / tone in person). These particular recordings, however, have a good ABB guitar tone to me. I like the guitar tones better than the One Way Out official release (which too me sounded more metalic than the Beacon DVD of the same recordings). The vocals are strong and present on these Instant Lives too.

And the point on Franklin's Tower is true. They played it with some "hop in their step." (latter day ABB versions were almost too laid back /lazy). The audience loved it!

[Edited on 2/25/2015 by hotlantatim]

The Fox Box got me back into the band after I figured they were over after I saw them in 2000 with Jimmy Herring. I can't pick a favorite night, I consider the whole run one big event. There are too many highlights to count (Jack on "Dreams", the return of "Blue Sky", the Derek & the Dominoes material, the Hittin' the Note tunes blossoming, etc) everything was fresh again and these shows showcased everything. But for me the highlight is Derek's insane solo on "44 Blues" - really one of the underrated tunes this lineup has performed.

The version of Franklin's Tower is my favorite ever. I wasn't there, but judging from the crowd, it may have been the first time the lyrics were included. The crowd seemed totally shocked/ pumped when Oteil sang that first line.

Another highlight, but Oteil was singing "Franklin's Tower" during the 2000 Summer tour when Gregg needed some singing breaks. I'm not a Dead fan, but I love the Allmans' take on this tune.

Oteil Sang lyrics to Franklin's Tower many times.

Is that enough love Effie? 😉

I do like the Barney Miller theme tease in the bass solo from the first show

The version of Franklin's Tower is my favorite ever. I wasn't there, but judging from the crowd, it may have been the first time the lyrics were included. The crowd seemed totally shocked/ pumped when Oteil sang that first line.

Another highlight, but Oteil was singing "Franklin's Tower" during the 2000 Summer tour when Gregg needed some singing breaks. I'm not a Dead fan, but I love the Allmans' take on this tune.

Ah ha! Thanks. I've wondered about that for years.

But for me the highlight is Derek's insane solo on "44 Blues" - really one of the underrated tunes this lineup has performed.

Listened to that side last night...Done Somebody Wrong was way funky,Desdemona was incredible,and yes,44 Blues(not my favorite song for the ABB) had a particularly incendiary lead by Derek.Incredible music on all 3 discs.