Festival Express

Movie
German title	Festival Express
Original title	Festival Express
Country of production	UK
original language	English
Publishing year	2003
length	90 minutes
Rod
Director	Bob Smeaton
production	Gavin Poolman John Trapman
music	Eddie Kramer
occupation
Eric Andersen The band Buddy Guy Blues Band Delaney and Bonnie and Friends The Flying Burrito Brothers Grateful Dead Ian and Sylvia and the Great Speckled Bird Janis Joplin Mashmakhan Mountain Tom Rush traffic Ten Years After Seatrain Sha Na Na

The Festival Express was a concert tour from east to west Canada in 1970. Some of the best rock bands of the time took part, including Grateful Dead , Janis Joplin , The Band . This tour was the occasion for a documentary in which various concert appearances, interviews and impressions are shown.

On this trip five cities were visited to perform the concerts there. Many of the musicians stayed on the train during this time, others only appeared at the concerts. So there was a jam session in a drunken state between Rick Danko (The Band), Janis Joplin and Jerry García (Grateful Dead), who could no longer witness the release of the documentary.

Several incidents occurred during the tour. Similar to Woodstock , many teenagers refused to pay admission ($ 16) and tried to storm the concerts and take action against the police. This led to negative publicity, but also to the fact that spontaneous free concerts took place in addition to the ones actually planned.

Despite these incidents and despite the huge loss of income, the tour continued. The musicians were given a luxury (e.g. their own cooks on the train instead of simple snacks) that was not yet common at the time. The sociability of the artists with one another, the constant exchange and the fact that the musicians had every freedom led to the statement by Kenny Gradney : " It was better than Woodstock, as great as Woodstock was. " (It was better than Woodstock, so great as Woodstock was).

In 2003 this documentary first premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival before the DVD was available in stores in 2004. The DVD quickly reached first place on online sales charts such as Amazon.com , Barnes & Noble and Tower Records and generated revenues of 1.2 million US dollars.

Concert dates

• ( Montreal, Quebec ( June 24 , 1970) - Not allowed by the Mayor of Montreal)
• Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) Grandstand - Toronto, Ontario (June 27-28 , 1970)
• Winnipeg Stadium - Winnipeg, Manitoba ( July 1st , 1970)
• McMahon Stadium - Calgary, Alberta ( July 4th , 1970)
• ( Vancouver, British Columbia - Not allowed by Vancouver City Council)

Soundtrack

Played during the documentation "Don't Ease Me In," Grateful Dead "Slippin 'and Slidin'", The Band "Better Take Jesus' Hand" ("Jordan"), Jerry Garcia "Comin 'Home Baby," Mashmakhan " Money (That's What I Want) ", Buddy Guy Blues Band "Lazy Day," The Flying Burrito Brothers "The Weight", The Band "Cry Baby," Janis Joplin "Ain't No More Cane", JamSession on the train; Rick Danko , Janis Joplin , Jerry García and Bob Weir "Rock & Roll Is Here to Stay," Sha Na Na "New Speedway Boogie", Grateful Dead " CC Rider ", Ian and Sylvia and the Great Speckled Bird and Jerry Garcia "I Shall Be Released," The Band "Tell Mama", Janis Joplin

Extras on the DVD "13 Questions", Seatrain "Child's Song," Tom Rush "Thirsty Boots", Eric Andersen "As Years Go By," Mashmakhan "Tears of Rage," Ian and Sylvia and the Great Speckled Bird " Hoochie Coochie Man ", Buddy Guy Blues Band "Hard to Handle", Grateful Dead "Easy Wind", Grateful Dead "Kosmic Blues", Janis Joplin "Move Over," Janis Joplin

Reviews

Full reviews can be found on Rottentomatoes.com.

Web links

• Festival Express in the Internet Movie Database (English)
• Festivalexpress.com
• All Movie Guide
• Song list
• Summary

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Critic Reviews for Festival Express ( English ) Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved April 7, 2019.