Festival Express (2003)

User Rating:

7.3/10   

Directors:

Bob Smeaton
Frank Cvitanovich

Release Date:

29 April 2004 (Netherlands)

Genre:

Documentary | History | Music

Tagline:

Festival Express... The longest party in rock-n-roll history.

Plot:

The filmed account of a large Canadian rock festival train tour.

Plot Keywords:

Train | Band | Concert | Summer | Tour

Cast

Rick Danko	...	Himself - The Band
Levon Helm	...	Himself - The Band
Garth Hudson	...	Himself - The Band
Richard Manuel	...	Himself - The Band
Robbie Robertson	...	Himself - The Band
Bonnie Bramlett	...	Herself - Delaney & Bonnie & Friends
Delaney Bramlett	...	Himself - Delaney & Bonnie & Friends
Ben Benay	...	Himself - Delaney & Bonnie & Friends
Sam Clayton	...	Himself - Delaney & Bonnie & Friends
Jim Gordon	...	Himself - Delaney & Bonnie & Friends
Kenny Gradney	...	Himself - Delaney & Bonnie & Friends / Interviewee
Jerry Jumonville	...	Himself - Delaney & Bonnie & Friends
Darrell Leonard	...	Himself - Delaney & Bonnie & Friends
Frank Maize	...	Himself - Delaney & Bonnie & Friends
Chuck Morgan	...	Himself - Delaney & Bonnie & Friends

MPAA:

Rated R for some language.

Runtime:

UK:90 min | USA:90 min

Country:

UK | Netherlands

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Finland:K-3 | Netherlands:16 | USA:R | UK:15 | Canada:PG | Australia:M

Filming Locations:

Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Company:

Apollo Films

Trivia:

Jerry Garcia and Robert Hunter wrote the song "Might As Well" about the Festival Express train trip. This song, performed over the years by The Grateful Dead, has lots of lyrics referencing this trip: "Long train running from coast to coast/bringing long the party where they need it the most" and "Never had such a good time/in my life before/I'd like to have it one time more/One good ride from start to end/I'd like to take that ride again."

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Goedemorgen Nederland: (2004-04-29)" (2004)

Soundtrack:

Country Jam

People of the world, join the love train!

What a terrific bit of insight into an event that until recently, was relatively unknown. In the wake of Woodstock, it was time for the players to have their fun. Some of the most tremendous artists of the 60's all join together to have a mobile party that ran across Canada. The movie includes some amazing footage of Janis Joplin, members of The Band, and a lot of Jerry Garcia and Bob Weir. I was curious where the remainder of the Grateful Dead spent much of their train time, but the footage shown was enlightening enough. From a night with LSD laden whiskey where spirits and the music was VERY high, to onstage performances by many of the groups from the actual concerts, and promoters and band members discussing the concerns about unruly fans and city managers. There was at least one huge aspect to note. For those of you who may appreciate Joplin for who she was and the influence she had but, maybe, aren't huge aficionados of her music, you may gain a new respect. Her onstage presence was clearly electrifying. You could tell that whenever she was belting out her bluesy tones, she had every bit of her heart bleeding out of her entire being. It would be a wondrous day to find that this, plus more and more hours of the footage could be released. I would waste away for an entire day watching and enjoying every tidbit of what was collected.