Originally called the Transcontinental Pop Festival , this rolling whiskey train  crossed Canada in mid-summer 1970 with a better group of folks you'd ever wanna hangout with. The Dead, The Band, Janis (& her new group), Buddy Guy, Ian & Sylvia, and a whole lot more just playin' and funnin' along for the ride. Throw in a few concerts where they were playing probably the best shows of their careers and it's a train ride you don't want to end. Sorta like Polar Express for grown-ups.
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| Set up mess, Montreal cancel, booze stop, windup. |
Full Story  .
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Wednesday, June 24
Autostade, Montreal
Show cancelled
Saturday & Sunday, June 27 & 28
CNE Stadium, Toronto
The Band
Janis Joplin
Delaney & Bonnie & Friends
Buddy Guy Blues Band
Eric Andersen
Ian & Sylvia with Great Speckled Bird
Grateful Dead
Tom Rush
Mountain
Ten Years After
Traffic
Seatrain
Charlebois
James & The Good Brothers
Cat
Mashmakhan
Modern Rock Quartet
Wednesday, July 1
Winnipeg Stadium, Winnipeg
The Band
Janis Joplin
Delaney & Bonnie & Friends
Buddy Guy Blues Band
Eric Andersen
Ian & Sylvia with Great Speckled Bird
Grateful Dead
Tom Rush
Mountain
Charlebois
James & The Good Brothers
Cat
Mashmakhan
Justin Tyme
Walrus
Saturday & Sunday, July 4 & 5
McMahon Stadium, Calgary
The Band
Janis Joplin
Delaney & Bonnie & Friends
Buddy Guy Blues Band
Eric Andersen
Ian & Sylvia with Great Speckled Bird
Grateful Dead
Tom Rush
Sha Na Na
Smith
Charlebois
James & The Good Brothers
Mashmakhan
Ides of March
Gallery
Happy Feeling
Parallel
Done On Bradstreet
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| The story of how the film came to have its world premiere in 2003 at The Toronto International Film Festival is as intersting as the story of the actual festival. Suffice to say that the film "disappeared" for 20 years and some of the cans were used as street hockey goal posts. In the US, the film opened in the summer of 2004, but more folks have seen (or bought) the DVD. |
| The music is phenomenal and the "stars" had a great time. Mickey Hart said that, "Woodstock was a treat for the audience, but the train was a treat for the performers." Everybody cooks great—outstanding stuff by The Band, Janis and her much better Full Tilt Boogie Band (in, sadly, one of her last appearances ever), and the informal, alcohol-influenced jams. Enjoy the ride! |
| Oh, don't confuse this with Festival, another great music event documentary, but in a very different space & time (Newport, 60s)—also essential viewing. In fact one winter day, you could watch Festival, Monterey Pop, Woodstock, and Festival Express and have a really nice day (and learn something)! You don't even have to pay attention all the time—let the music take you away... |
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Festival Express |
| Warner Home Video | |
| 11/2004 | |
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 Movie | Grateful Dead | Casey Jones | - |
| Grateful Dead | Don't Ease Me In | - |
| Grateful Dead | Friend Of The Devil | - |
| The Band | Slippin' And Slidin' | - |
| Delaney & Bonnie etc | Goin' Down The Road | - |
| Buddy Cage/ Various Artists | Traditional Country Song | - |
| Buddy Guy & Rick Danko | Baby Here I Come | - |
| Jerry Garcia & Sylvia Tyson | Better Take Jesus' Hand (1st version) | - |
| Mashmakan | Comin' Home Baby | - |
| Buddy Guy | Money | - |
| Flying Burrito Bros | Lazy Day | - |
| The Band | The Weight | - |
| Janis Joplin | Cry Baby | - |
| Buddy Guy & Jerry Garcia | I Can't Do It Baby | - |
| Rick Danko & Janis etc | Ain't No More Cane | - |
| Buddy Guy & Rick Danko | Soul Jam | - |
| Various Artists | Sunshine Of Your Love | - |
| Sha Na Na | Rock & Roll Is Here To Stay | - |
| Ian & Sylvia & The Great Speckled Bird | CC Rider | - |
| Grateful Dead | New Speedway Boogie | - |
| The Band | I Shall Be Released | - |
| Janis Joplin | Tell Mama | - |
| Janis Joplin | Me & Bobby McGee | - |
| New Riders of the Purple Sage | Better Take Jesus' Hand (1st version) | - |
| Bonus Material | ||
| Grateful Dead | Hard To Handle | - |
| Grateful Dead | Easy Wind | - |
| Janis Joplin | Move Over | - |
| Janis Joplin | Kozmic Blues | - |
| Buddy Guy | Hoochie Coochie Man | - |
| Mashmakhan | As Years Go By | - |
| Eric Anderson | Thirsty Boots | - |
| Ian & Sylvia | Tears Of Rage | - |
| Tom Rush | Child's Song | - |
| Seatrain | Thirteen Questions | - |
| Songs about the festival: | ||
| Might As Well | Jerry Garcia (with Grateful Dead) (Reflections) | 2/76 |
Links!
Festival Express DVDFestivals Home page