Fire on the Mountain trivia

[DesertDead]

Fire was first played on March 18, 1977 (just over 46 years ago for those of you counting at home!) at Winterland.  

 

Take a guess at when and where it was first played in California outside of San Francisco.

 

Obviously you can’t use Deadbase or the Internet.  And, yes, I am asking because it is pretty interesting.

 

Let’s have some fun with the guesses!  
 

DD

[Tea]

It goes way back with Mickey doing the lyrics - this was a filler on a tape I traded.  I'm going to say 1970.

[Greg from Chestertown]

First time in California, outside of San Fran? That may have taken a while. I have no idea. 

[DesertDead]

2 hours ago, Tea said:

It goes way back with Mickey doing the lyrics - this was a filler on a tape I traded.  I'm going to say 1970.

I see what you’re thinking, Tea.  What we’re asking for is after the song first appeared at Winterland as a fully developed song as we know it, when was it played in a California city not named San Francisco AFTER that.

 

This answer is after 3/18/77.

 

Hope that helps…

[Tea]

40 minutes ago, DesertDead said:

I see what you’re thinking, Tea.  What we’re asking for is after the song first appeared at Winterland as a fully developed song as we know it, when was it played in a California city not named San Francisco AFTER that.

 

This answer is after 3/18/77.

 

Hope that helps…

My reading comprehension needs some work - now I got it.  I'm going to Fall of 1977 (October?) - The Paramount show in Portland, OR with the Casey Jones and Duprees bustouts....

[Greg from Chestertown]

Do you mean San Fran proper or the Bay Area? Is Oakland outside of ‘San Fran’. It doesn’t matter. I still have no idea. Hell, I thought it’s first time played was Englishtown ‘77. 

[2muchfun]

It was being played when I first saw Dead early 5/77 but not my first show.

Perhaps other show of 4 night palladium run.

 

[DesertDead]

2 hours ago, Greg from Chestertown said:

Do you mean San Fran proper or the Bay Area? Is Oakland outside of ‘San Fran’. It doesn’t matter. I still have no idea. Hell, I thought it’s first time played was Englishtown ‘77. 

First time played in the state of California but not within San Francisco city limits.

 

And a side note is that Fire was never played in Englishtown, New Jersey. 🤓

 

 

 

29 minutes ago, 2muchfun said:

It was being played when I first saw Dead early 5/77 but not my first show.

Perhaps other show of 4 night palladium run.

 

That Spring 1977 run at the Palladium was actually 5 shows, and Fire was indeed played (twice), but since this is about when it was first played IN CALIFORNIA but not within San Francisco, this all has nothing to do with it haha 😂 

 

But I do always get a kick out of the fact that your first show was May 1977.  Can’t imagine how cool that must have been!

[Greg from Chestertown]

Yea, it looks like I am going to have to stay after with Tea in the reading comprehension tutoring class. I have no idea how I got Terrapin Station out of the word Fire. That changes everything but I still have no idea. 

[bs69]

I'm pretty sure it was June 77 but can't remember the venue,  in guessing Long Beach

[2muchfun]

I also miscomprehended….duh….I am all confused.

Didnt see first Palladium Fire but yes for second….the Comes a Time eclipsed it…if that’s even possible in retrospect.

[Greg from Chestertown]

My mentor back in the day described Fire as actually, a really old song. 

[Tea]

18 hours ago, bs69 said:

I'm pretty sure it was June 77 but can't remember the venue,  in guessing Long Beach

I had forgotton about that Long Beach show but fairly certain they didn't play Scarlet > Fire.  Maybe a standalone Scarlet but not the combo.  If that's true, it's likely gotta be in 1978  - sometime after Jerry's laryngitis ? 

[PoetryGirl]

I had it as filler too as a 1969 edition with Mickey rapping it. No stats came with it. I think a perfect breakout place should have been Honolulu 🌋

[DesertDead]

Ok, here is the answer and some other facts around this topic.

 

After it’s initial offering at Winterland on March 18, 1977, Fire on the Mountain was not played to a California audience outside of San Francisco until December 30, 1978 at Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles.

 

The New Year’s run in 1978 was 2 in San Diego, this 1 in LA, and then NYE at Winterland (Blues Brothers show that has been released, and does include FOTM as well).

 

We know FOTM was played extensively after being introduced:  22 times in 1977 and 24 times in 1978 (most of any year, beating the 23 times of 1981 by 1).  
 

So it was played a total of 43 times before Californians outside of San Francisco city limits finally got a chance to have their faces melted to this mystical tune.  Here are the non-SF California shows that did NOT get a Fire on their Mountain before the Westwood crowd got it on 12/30/78.

 

6/4/77 Inglewood

1/6/78 San Bernardino (they did get another Estimated, no Terrapin)

1/7/78 San Diego 

1/8/78 San Diego

1/10/78 Los Angeles

1/11/78 Los Angeles

1/13/78 Santa Barbara 

1/14/78 Bakersfield 

1/15/78 Fresno

1/17/78 Sacramento 

1/18/78 Stockton

12/27/78 San Diego

12/28/78 San Diego

 

Just so no one has to take their shoes off to count those, that makes 13 shows that were played in California outside of San Francisco during the height of FOTM being played where it was not.

 

It is so unlikely that I kept thinking I would find one that fucked up my little trivia game offering as I reviewed them again, but nope, somehow Garcia found his way through all 13 of these shows without playing Fire.  So unlikely you’d think it was intentional if we didn’t know better.

 

Side note is that Long Beach was not played during this era.

 

So not sure how I came across this statistical anomaly, but I did, and thought I would share it with each of you.  Hope you enjoyed all of that as much as I did!

 

DD

[Tea]

Thanks, DD.  The brain cells governing my comprehension ability are missing, apparently.  They grow back, right? 

[Ammagamalin Crew]

That must be what makes that the  12/31/78 so exceptional, esp the harmonics going into it. The last version  only the first verse was needed to get Jerry on the slide with the leads. Thx DD⚡

 

[BillK522]

The second set at Swing on 78/01/06 and the

pair at San Diego on 78/01/07 and 08 the

no Jerry vocals shows due to extreme laryngitis.

 

That does not help the cause for those

CA patrons chasing FOTM in early 1978.

 

Praise DSO.

[Hardpan]

I don’t know if this qualifies as trivia, but in my head, I always sing the main intro chord lick that Jerry plays as “Fi-re on the Mountain is my fav-o-rite song”. Also have a similar line for the beginning of the solo to Ramble on Rose that I can’t keep out of my head (my favorite motherfing song in the world, is a number called ramble on rose…)😄

[Greg from Chestertown]

I keep looking at the license plates in the parking lot, expecting to see FIYAH

[Milehighjoel.]

And there's the fire with a hamza lead in, can't remember when or where but well worth a listen.  Mojo workin' Mixed in there too I sort of recall. 

[Milehighjoel.]

10/22/78 Winterland Arena - San Francisco, CA Set 1: Ollin Arrageed Deal Me And My Uncle Big River Friend Of The Devil New Minglewood Blues Peggy-O Jack Straw Set 2: Scarlet Begonias Fire On The Mountain Samson And Delilah From The Heart Of Me I Need A Miracle Drums Not Fade Away Caution (Do Not Stop On Tracks) Jam Mojo Jam Goin' Down The Road Feeling Bad Encore: Johnny B. Goode Download/Listen to this Show at Archive.org Comments: Hamza El-din/Ollin Arrageed is great, this show, 10-21-78, and 9-14-78.

[Ammagamalin Crew]

my only Greek shows and this one was kinda a clunker

 The last fire before the coma.