starring: Janis Joplin, The Grateful Dead, The Band, Rick Danko, Levon Helm
directed by: Bob Smeaton, Frank Cvitanovich
directed by: Bob Smeaton, Frank Cvitanovich
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Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Binding: DVD
Brand: NEW Line Home Video
EAN: 9780780649231
Format: AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
ISBN: 0780649230
Item Dimensions:
Label: New Line Home Video
Languages:
Manufacturer: New Line Home Video
MPN: 794043757327
Number Of Discs: 2
Publisher: New Line Home Video
Region Code: 1
Release Date: November 02, 2004
Running Time: 90 minutes
Studio: New Line Home Video
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Editorial Review:
Product Description:
In 1970 during the era of the hippie and the counter-culture, the biggest rock acts traveled on a train for five days from coast to coast in Canada, p
Amazon.com:
The vintage concert footage alone makes Festival Express a memorable and worthwhile endeavor, offering scintillating performances by Janis Joplin, the Band (their rollicking version of "Slippin' and Slidin'" is particularly mind-blowing), the Grateful Dead, Buddy Guy, and others (remember Mashmakhan?). In 1970, during the heyday of the rock festival, promoter Ken Walker decided to organize a traveling musical revue, bringing the mountain to Mohammed, as it were. In five days' time, the festival played in three Canadian cities with the entire conglomeration traveling, playing, and getting smashed together the whole way. Nearly as rewarding as the live performances are the candid scenes of the train ride itself, an endless jam session and party during which musicians of all shapes and sizes let their hair down--musically and otherwise. The contemporary interviews with Walker and some of the surviving musicians aren't particularly noteworthy, except as a way to prove that it all actually happened. Walker comes off as a hero in the film: he treated the musicians like royalty and insisted that the train roll on even though he was losing his shirt. (His financial failure is a large reason why this material stayed in the vaults for so long.) Perhaps the most remarkable scene is an off-the-cuff, LSD-fueled train jam featuring Joplin, the Band's Rick Danko, and the Dead's Jerry Garcia playing the old chestnut "Ain't No More Cane." Danko is so obliterated that even Janis has to ask him if he's OK--when Janis is worried about your state of mind, you must be pretty messed up. --Marc Greilsamer
Average Rating: 
Rating:
- Rock FestivalThis is a must if you own Woodstock and Monterey Pop. Superb DVD Grateful Dead, The Band, Janis Joplin plus plenty of others.
Rating:
- Festival ExpressThis is a very entertaining trip back in time to the Woodstock era. The shots of the musicians playing together on the train between shows are just as entertaining as the performances themselves.
Rating:
- Best Concert filmFestival Express is a documentary film about three concerts that took place in 1970 during a one week period. The concerts were linked together because all the musicians travelled and lived together on a private Canadian Railroad train which was open only to the perfomers, roadies and a few groupies. No one left the train during that week except to perform in the concerts. The movie was not realeased until recently due to legal issues; but if it had been released when it was shot, it would have attracted ... Read More
Rating:
- Wonderful concert footage and music, though nothing special as a document of the timesFESTIVAL EXPRESS is a filmed document of the abortive 1970 trans-Canadian railroad tour featuring Janis Joplin, The Grateful Dead, Buddy Guy, The Band, Sha Na Na, etc. Obviously inspired by Woodstock, the idea was to travel to several major Canadian cities, play a big day-long show at each, and collect a tidy sum. As with Woodstock, though, the dark side of hippiedom surfaced and there was a big hue and cry about the "outrageous" ($16 I think?) sums charged for the shows; eventually, so many people got in ... Read More
Rating:
- Peace TrainThis documentary is one of the best of its kind. It seemlessly works in great quality concert footage with an amazing story line of the Festival Express in the glory of 1970. This is really something you won't get in most music documentaries; actual close up footage of Jerry, Bob, Janis, and Rick Danko of the Band all jammin' together on a train through Canada. The train footage is what did it for me. It's priceless stuff, like Buddy Guy and his band playin' the blues( horns and all) on a train with the Dead, ... Read More
