| Festival Express |  | Artists: Janis Joplin, The Grateful Dead, The Band, Rick Danko, Levon Helm
Label: New Line Home Video
List Price: $19.98
Buy Used: $7.90
as of 9/9/2010 08:05 MST details
You Save: $12.08 (60%)
New (20) Used (21) from $7.90
Seller: bentramerbooks
Rating:  110 reviews
Sales Rank: 5,140
Format: AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
Languages: English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), English (Original Language)
Rating: R (Restricted)
Region: 1
Discs: 2
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Running Time: 90 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.4 x 5.3 x 0.4
MPN: 794043757327
ISBN: 0780649230
UPC: 794043757327
EAN: 9780780649231
ASIN: B000305ZDO
Release Date: November 2, 2004
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
| |
| Similar Items:
| |
| Editorial Reviews:
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
|
| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 110
 Rock Festival May 6, 2010
Mr. Paul J. Clawson (Milton Keynes Bucks UK)
This is a must if you own Woodstock and Monterey Pop. Superb DVD Grateful Dead, The Band, Janis Joplin plus plenty of others.
 Festival Express April 4, 2010
Elizabeth L. Aten (Napoleon, OH USA)
This 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.
Best Concert film February 17, 2010
R. Schuster (Los Angeles)
Festival 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 more attention and would be more well known as well as easily rank as one of the greatest concert movies of all times. The movie shows "behind the scenes" as well as "on stage" for some of the most iconic bands and performers who ever lived; Janis Joplin, the Greatful Dead, The Band and more. The week long train trip is shown in context and the movie audience gets a unique look into the life style behind the concerts as well as the three incredible concerts. By the time the train arrived for the final show in Calgary, the personalities on the train had fused into a rock and roll family; and that is what makes these filmed concerts different than all other films. I was on that train and that trip was the greatest rock and roll experience I ever had but more importantly; the movie captures all the thrills, chills, and excitement of being on the train. If you were not on the train, you can still get on board.
Wonderful concert footage and music, though nothing special as a document of the times February 14, 2010
Muzzlehatch (the walls of Gormenghast)
FESTIVAL 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 free to most of the shows that the promoters nearly lost their shirts.
Contemporary interviews with survivors (Bob Weir, Mickey Hart, and Phil Lesh of the Dead; Buddy Guy and the principal promoter) are interspersed with archival (16 mm?) on-the-train footage and concert footage. The interviews are disappointingly pedestrian and similar, "oh it was so cool man we hung out and partied on the train and drank our asses off and took all these psyechedelics and then we got to play a lot and bummer that these kids were so ungrateful and bashed the police and bashed us because we didn't want to give it away free"...other than the promoter Ken Walker, they were all fairly dispensible. The train ride stuff was pretty cool, particularly a shot of Jerry Garcia doing a mostly-solo old gospel tune, and a nice vignette of The Band's Rick Danko, Joplin and Garcia doing a stoner improvisation...but there wasn't enough of this stuff overall, which is certainly rare and unique material.
The concert footage is for the most part pretty awesome, though, and is the reason to see the film. Buddy Guy is incandescent in the one song we get to see complete("Baby Here I Come), Janis amazing on "Cry Baby" and almost as great on "Tell Mama" (though obviously messed up, on this song and everywhere else in the film...on the road to an early death), The Band impressive on "The Weight" and even more powerfully emotive doing "I Shall Be Released". The Dead's three songs are fine, but nothing really special from them - much as with "Woodstock" they are going to be a big part of why a lot of people see this, but are not at their best; I wish they'd showcased Pigpen just a bit, as he was still singing in 1970...what, no "Hard to Handle"? Well worth seeing if you're a fan of any of the principle musicians...not much as a documentary. I'm a fan, so I liked it, but it's not for a general audience, really. Ya gots ta be a hippie, dude - or at least able to fly your freak flag while watching this.
Peace Train January 24, 2010
Derek J. Miles (Boulder, CO)
This 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, Janis, an the Band. The film itself couldn't have been done much better, except for the fact that it leaves you wanting more. This is a great buy and a must for any fan of any or all of the artists in the movie. Serious document of 1970 music history gold!
Great extra concert performances too!
Showing reviews 1-5 of 110
|
|
|
CERTAIN CONTENT THAT APPEARS ON THIS SITE COMES FROM AMAZON SERVICES LLC. THIS CONTENT IS PROVIDED ‘AS IS’ AND IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE OR REMOVAL AT ANY TIME.
Disclaimer | Privacy Policy
Powered by Bytewise
| |
