I don't miss it. If my screen was wider, I'd like it, but I have a smaller monitor at work and a small laptop at home. Takes up too much room for me.
I also am glad it's gone. I had it hidden by default, but the page always loaded first with it open and then snapped it shut. Slowed down every page load on this site.
I don't have access to their Google Analytics, but it'd be interesting to monitor site traffic on those separate forums before and after the change. I know I haven't wandered off the Blazer board since the change, and I used to go pretty regularly to threads outside of here. I'm just too lazy to look. I wonder if the best solution might be to run two concurrent RipCityTwo.com pages--one with the sidebar (actually, I'd prefer even more sidebar since I have a wide monitor) and one without. People could bookmark and use whichever they prefer. Not sure if Vbulletin supports such a solution, but it'd sidestep Minstrel's issue.