Scarlet Begonias -> Fire On The Mountain
April 24, 1978
Horton Field House - Illinois State University
This and 1/31/78 are the best versions ever. The band had reached its musical apotheosis in the spring of ‘78, and Jerr had mastered Mixolydian, which separates this year from the stellar year of ‘77. Now, there are better ‘77 versions than ‘78, but Jerr is far more wandering and thus less focused in ‘77, so when ‘78 is on, it reaches much higher highs and much more sophistication. Why 4/24? This version features an intergalactically titanic Jerr solo that comes descending from the heavens to deliver an epic statement before the “wind in the willows” vocal section in SB - I would argue this is one of his finest moments ever. You can hear and feel the passage of time through the course of human civilization in this 2 minutes of awe-inspiring time travel. And he has mastered his tone (evidenced throughout ‘78, and perhaps apexed on 12/16).
Phil and the Devils are locked and hitting the gaps perfectly, while Keith is laying down pulsating ground fire.
All-time: 4/24/78, 1/31/78, 7/3/78, 4/8/78 (the spiritual pre-cursor to 4/24), 4/13/84, 5/16/78, 5/17/77, 10/2/77, 5/8/77, 5/11/78, 8/6/82, 8/8/82, 12/16/78, 5/21/77, 4/25/77, 11/16/78. Again, the gap between the peak ‘78’s and the best ‘77’s is big. Very. Honorable mention: 11/15/87, 5/7/78, 2/5/78, 11/30/80, 3/18/77, 8/12/81, 1/17/79.
