Scarlet Begonias -> Fire On The Mountain
May 5, 1977
New Haven Coliseum
I listened, intently, many times to this version today, on a rainy day in Boston. The Scarlet is emotively perfect and stands out, to my ears, as one of the most enjoyable of the era. The boys come out with energy and purpose, Bobby shines in his fills, the rhythm devils are dancing the beat, Jerry is tickling the leads, the pre-segue jam gets appropriately spacey and meditative, then a perfect landing into Fire. The Fire has a wonderful initial swell. Jerry fumbles the words, but this is of little consequence, as the communication in his playing is the only real truth that matters. The Fire shines to a glistening conclusion. To my ears, many of the May '77 S>Fs are so similar, oft played with technical accuracy and precision, though also with vibrant exploration. This, for me, is as enjoyable or even more so than any of its other peers from the era.
