Festival Express (8/6/04)

Festival Express is a film that is likely coming to an art house near you. Run - do not walk - to see this movie. If it isn't one of the Top 5 music films of all time, it is definitely in the Top 10. Festival Express is a documentary that follows a 1970 Canadian rock festival tour that featured the Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin, The Band, Buddy Guy, The Flying Burrito Brothers and a few others, including Sha Na Na. All of the artists traveled across the country in a train called the Festival Express. For those artists, the tour was a 24/7 party consisting of playing festival shows before half-filled stadium audiences, followed by all-night drug and alcohol-influenced jam sessions on the train. The film mixes concert footage with on-the-train footage and current interviews with the surviving artists, like Phil Lesh and Bob Weir. The craziest thing about this film is that the footage was supposedly lost for 30 years! It was finally discovered and pieced together recently. The entire film was shot in a way that makes you feel like you are riding that train with the legends and in the front row of each evening's concert. That, combined with great sound quality and incredible live performances, gave me an ear-to-ear grin on many occasions. I knew I wasn't alone when the audience erupted in applause after several tunes. There is A+ concert footage of The Band, Buddy Guy, The Dead and Janis, who truly steals the show. The train footage could not be more captivating. You feel like you're watching these incredible talents via a hidden camera as they share some of those high times that you've experienced with your closest friends. The highlight of the film is a scene on the train when The Band's Rick Danko is leading Janis, Jerry and Bobby in song. They're all high on psychedelic-laced alcohol, having the time of their lives hanging and singing together. Picture the "Tiny Dancer" scene in ALMOST FAMOUS - except this is the real deal. The scene ends with some interesting sexual tension between Jerry and Janice after Jerry professes his love for her. Jerry Garcia is the most featured artist in the film - and there's lots of great footage of a young, healthy and very happy Jerry. You get a rare glimpse into Jerry's off stage life in the more innocent days. He has a wide grin through most of the film as you see him hanging and playing with friends, bouncing around in the audience to Sha Na Na like any other dorky rock fan and even having a serious moment when he addresses the concert crowd about gate-crashing. (1995 wasn't the ONLY year for gate-crashing). This film is special because it gives you some insight into what it would have been like to hang, party and travel with this crowd of incredibly talented, like-minded souls. It is special because it features incredible concert footage from some of rock history's finest in a way that makes you feel like you're there. It is special because it captures that magical time when MUSIC was what the music world was all about - not business and not who had the best face for TV. It is special because it gives yet one more look at so much incredible rock talent that is no longer with us. If this movie was 14 hours long, I would have had no problem staying glued to my theater seat for its entirety. Once it's out on DVD, I will watch it 200 times. For any Deadhead, musician or music fan, Festival Express is a must see.

On a final note, here is the Grateful Dead song about the experience:

"Might As Well"
Words by Robert Hunter; music by Jerry Garcia
Copyright Ice Nine Publishing.
Great North Special, were you on board?
You can't find a ride like that no more
Night the chariot swung down low
Ninety nine children had a chance to go
One long party from front to end
Tune to the whistle going round the bend
No big hurry, what do you say?
Might as well travel the elegant way
Might as well, might as well
Might as well, might as well
Might as well, might as well
Might as well, might as well
Ragtime solid for twenty five miles
then slip over to the Cajun style
Bar car loaded with rhythm and blues
Rock and roll wailing in the old caboose
Long train running from coast to coast
bringing long the party where they need it the most
Whup on the boxcar, beat on the bell
Nothing else shaking so you might just as well
Might as well, might as well
Might as well, might as well
Might as well, might as well
Might as well, might as well
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
Again
Run out of track and I caught the plane
Back in the county with the blues again
Great North Special been on my mind
Might like to ride it just one more time
Might as well, might as well
Might as well, might as well
Might as well, might as well
Might as well, might as well