Festival Express (the movie)

In the Summer of 1970 a concert tour was held across Canada where the bands were transported from East to West via train called the Festival Express. If you want to get a feel or a flashback for for those times I recommend this movie which recently came out on video.

It features Janis Joplin (just a couple months before she died), the Grateful Dead, the Band, the Flying Burrito Brothers, Delaney & Bonnie, the Buddy Guy Blues Band and several others. The concert footage is excellent, but what's really revealing are the scenes of the musicians partying and jamming in the bar car, especially one scene where Jerry Garcia tells Janis Joplin, "Janis, I've loved you ever since I first saw you!"

Recent interviews with the performers tell a lot about what they were experiencing while traveling, especially what they said then and now about the gate crashers at each concert who demanded the concerts be held for free.

At the end of the movie Janis is on stage and tells the audience that the tour was the best party she's ever been to and that even she couldn't have thrown a better party. Was this train ride the inspiration for the Grateful Dead's Casey Jones?

 

It's a cool idea, but they played Casey Jones at the festival. It's in the movie. Had they written it on the train, the documentary probably would have mentioned it.

One of the many reasons this movie rocks. Other reasons include the fact that a bunch of crazy musicians spent 2+ days at a time on a train ride together (nonstop music/partying) and their emergency stop near the end of the trip (just watch and see, no giveaways).

 

Hmm...I think I'm gonna have to check this movie out. Sounds cool.

 

i would give this movie a million stars it has some of the best footage i have ever seen of all these mucisians.... i saw it in concord new hamshire at the capital theatre ... it is worth your time if you love grateful dead the band joplin and many more.....

 

what a far out movie!! Loaded with really cool footage and things like that!

 

Oh man that movie kicked ass. Janis Joplin's preformances were particaly breathtaking.

 

This was indeed one of the best movies I have ever seen. Great music and great footage. Love the quote from Garcia ( I believe) that Woodstock was for the fans, but Festival Express was for the bands...

Peace and Love,
Jon

 

The footage was amazing. I can't say enough about this movie. Janis and Jerry had tears in my eyes.
And to think at the time people were complaining about having to spend money to see everyone. If they only knew that, that would be the very last time those bands would ever play together they might have thought a little different.

 

i still have to check this out.. god i need to stop being such a slacker..

 

i need to see this this sounds really nice

 

The Gratefull dead an Janis Joplin were great but in this movie I really like Buddy Guy. His solo's were really nice. Buddy Guy rocked

 

I love it!

 

Eric Clapton once described Buddy Guy as the greatest living guitar player. In fact, B.B. King and Eric Clapton teamed up to induct Buddy Guy at the 20th annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony. The event took place on March 14th 2005.

If you want to see some more great playing check this one:
http://www.rhino.com/store/productdetail.lasso?number=970378

Peace,
poor_old_dad

 

I have 5 or 6 Buddy Guy CD's. Its funny how he always walks off the stage playing and his roadies have to follow him all around with the cord. I have seen him several times in concert and he still does that only now he goes out into the parking lot with hundreds of feet of cord. He still rocks.
Janis did her best "Cry Baby" in this movie. I have several versions and the express version is the very best.

 

Good film. It was neat watching the Dead at Exibition Stadium in Toronto where everyone demanded to get in for free. It made me remember they tore that place down. It was where I saw my first concert (Guns and Roses) and where I saw Paul Mccartney, the Eagles and the greatest concert I've ever seen and might ever see, Pink Floyd. Now it's gone and since the last time I was there, the last tour Pink Floyd did, every classic rock band has reunited, even the Beatles!! Black Sabbath, Cream, The Guess Who, the Who, Motley Crue (sorta classic rock now), the Stones are still touring and still no Floyd reunion. When oh when God will David Gilmour and Roger Waters patch up their differences? Please god, let Syd Barrett be the peacemaker and they can all play together. But I digress, Festival Express was cool...

 

it was fucking great

i heart jerry

 

Awesome movie, it actually played at a local theatre here last year which was totally cool.

The train passed right through the heart of my city -- too bad i was only a baby at that time.

 

Yes. I just stopped breathing so good was it. I Cried.

 

I Like the way that there were so many amazing artist's, bands and singers all on the same train together, playing groovy Bluesy Rock 'n' Roll....I would have to say that Janis was one of my highlights of the movie overall....

 

it is out on video in my local video store called movie gallery