Scarlet > Fire Trail
The handoff that defines the late-70s Dead, then changes shape.
Scarlet Begonias builds pressure; Fire on the Mountain releases it. Cornell sets the benchmark, Pembroke Pines and Huntington show the pairing breathing differently, Red Rocks gives it outdoor lift, and Albany 1993 proves the handoff still had late-era weight without relying on a weak final-year recording.
Path Threads
scarlet fire · scarlet begonias · fire on the mountain · transition · groove
Stops On This Path
1. May 8, 1977 · Barton Hall, Cornell University
May 8, 1977 at Barton Hall, Cornell University · Ithaca, NY, US · Post-Hiatus era · 13 recordings listed · Archive listeners rate it around 5
The benchmark handoff. Use Cornell as the reference for every Scarlet > Fire that follows.
Setlist includes Minglewood Blues · Loser · El Paso · They Love Each Other · Jack Straw · Deal · Lazy Lightning · Supplication · Brown Eyed Women · Mama Tried.
2. May 22, 1977 · Sportatorium
May 22, 1977 at Sportatorium · Pembroke Pines, FL, US · Post-Hiatus era · 3 recordings listed · Archive listeners rate it around 5
Pembroke Pines keeps the May 77 shape but lets the groove breathe differently.
Setlist includes The Music Never Stopped · Sugaree · El Paso · Peggy-O · Minglewood Blues · Friend Of The Devil · Lazy Lightning · Supplication · Ramble On Rose · Dancin' In The Streets.
3. April 16, 1978 · Huntington Civic Center
April 16, 1978 at Huntington Civic Center · Huntington, WV, US · Post-Hiatus era · 12 recordings listed · Archive listeners rate it around 5
Huntington adds 1978 bite and a mid-size room to the pairing.
Setlist includes Jack Straw · Dire Wolf · Cassidy · Peggy-O · Mexicali Blues · Mama Tried · They Love Each Other · Minglewood Blues · Scarlet Begonias · Fire On The Mountain.
4. July 8, 1978 · Red Rocks Amphitheatre
July 8, 1978 at Red Rocks Amphitheatre · Morrison, CO, US · Post-Hiatus era · 6 recordings listed · Archive listeners rate it around 5
Red Rocks gives Fire on the Mountain altitude and air.
Setlist includes Bertha · Good Lovin' · Dire Wolf · El Paso · It Must Have Been The Roses · Minglewood Blues · Ramble On Rose · Promised Land · Deal · Samson And Delilah.
5. March 28, 1993 · Knickerbocker Arena
March 28, 1993 at Knickerbocker Arena · Albany, NY, US · Final era · 10 recordings listed · Archive listeners rate it around 5
Albany proves the pairing still had late-era life without asking a weak final-year tape to carry the ending.
Setlist includes Whiskey In The Jar · Alabama Bound · Mississippi Half Step · Walkin' Blues · So Many Roads · When I Paint My Masterpiece · High Time · Eternity · Deal · Scarlet Begonias.