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Festival Express
List Price: $24.98 Our Price: $17.99
DVD - 02 November, 2004
New Line Home Entertainment
R (Restricted)
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Director: Bob Smeaton
Cast: Janis Joplin, The Grateful Dead, The Band
Number of Media: 2
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| DVD Description 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 |
| Reviews from Customers
Pure magic Having been at the Calgary concert I often wondered why there had been no footage of this special concert. When I heard it was finally out after 34 years I went and saw it on the big screen. Brought tears to my eyes to see Janis sing and you will never see her better than on this DVD.The early 70's were a special time we shall never see the likes of again and if you were a person in your late teens early 20's this DVD will take you back to the days of the Furry Freak Brothers and Fillmore and The Merry Pranksters. Highly recommended.
I've loved you ever since the day I saw you I can't say I enjoyed every performance shown, but it's a treasure in its entirety. The film captures the moment between the 60s and 70s and reflects the awkwardness, innocence, brutality, and insecurity of the time. Showing people in such a raw state is always tricky and the film could be taken apart and criticized in various ways, but I think that would be missing the point.
I've long had a soft spot for Janis Joplin and to see her in absolute top form only a few months before her death was especially moving. I also gained new respect for Jerry Garcia; what a mensch! In Toronto, still young and beard jet black, taking charge during a riot and defusing the situation was impressive.
The film's saturated, grainy 16mm look is gorgeous and the sound is reasonably good given the vagaries of the production. The extra interview footage of the concert promoter on the second disc had me literally in tears laughing with disbelief at some of the more extreme aspects of what went on.
Worth the price of the video are... ...the moments provided by the Band, especially seeing the shy Richard Manuel sing, in that otherworldly, last-one-to-be-picked-for-the-team voice, "I Shall Be Released," a sublime treat for one who had previously only been transported by simply audio Manuel-Band moments. Also giving me shivers is the Band's performance of "The Weight." As mentioned by several others, the drunken/sleep-deprived Rick Danko/Joplin/Garcia jam "They're ain't no Cain (cane?)" is interesting+. The Dead generally bores me but there are other worthy showings, particularly by also-rans Sea Train and the Flying Burritos. Unfortunately, the Joplin segments are among the worst I've seen, and horribly prophetic (instead try Monterey Pop). And while Ian and Sylvia made pristine folk when they stayed in that box, the fusion about which Sylvia exalts now seems dated. Finally, all the business about fans wanting free admission is tedious if, as I have, you've seen the Isle of Wight concert film, which documented a similarly troubling conflict. |
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