The Grateful Dead were innovators, on-stage and off.
In concert, they were known for their extended group improvisations. But I assert that equally important to their live shows was the way they connected songs in sequences of two (and often more) titles.
Across their many musical eras, the band created many well-known, seamless pairings (and triplets) emphasizing group improvisation.
Think China > Rider. Scarlet > Fire. Playin' > Uncle John's. Help > Slip > Franklin's.
There are also other strong pairings that have far more crisply delineated transitions, without much improvisation.
Think Me & My Uncle > Big River. Alabama > (Greatest Story / Promised Land).
The 'tightness' of these associations varied; some songs had one steady companion (perhaps variable through time), others had a tight core of a few regular tunes. Some juxtapositions were instantaneous and enduring, whereas others developed over time and just "sang a little while and then flew on."
In today's finale of 'PIVOT!' a.k.a. 'Wait, what?!' I'm focusing on shows where the band makes an unusual song segue, often breaking a long-established pattern.
But to break a pattern, it needs to exist. For example, when the band debuted 'Fire on the Mountain,' 'Scarlet Begonias' preceded it. The next time they played 'Scarlet' there was no 'Fire,' but the next four times it DID follow. Then there was another interruption; THIS does not meet my loosely defined criteria of breaking a pattern, because four consecutive pairings just isn't enough.
The band proceeded to perform several more Scarlet > Fires in sequence for nearly a year, until April 1978 when they interrupt the pattern again. THAT break can be eligible for this special, since there had been a reasonably long-standing practice of 'Scarlet' melting right into 'Fire.'
If you missed any of the previous parts of this special, you can access them below.
Part 1 was in January 2023. Part 2 was in August 2023. Part 3 was in January 2024.