Some old posts I found #2

Some more old posts from an old blog I found a backup of. This time when I got excited about watching Festival Express…

01|03|08: Festival Express – A great documentary about a train carrying the cream of 60s rock (Janis Joplin, Grateful Dead, The Band etc.) across Canada, doing festivals along the way. There’s lots of really amazing in-concert footage (Buddy Guy doing an awesome version of Money, The Band doing The Weight and loads more) but the main events centre around the happenings onboard the train itself – the film shows the cameraderie that builds between all the bands, basically through a series of massive benders and all-night jam sessions. It has a bit of a ‘Woodstock movie’ feel to it, maybe because of the split-screen way the film is constructed. Some things I couldn’t help thinking during the film (not necessarily about the film itself though):

• Compared to todays bands, most of the musicians look like badly dressed supply teachers, or in The band themselves case, like a bunch of unemployed geography teachers (specs, beards, ill-fitting clobber) but Jesus H, can they play/jam well.
• It maybe seems a bit naive now (in a nice way), but there’s a lot of ‘stick it to the man’ attitude from the festival audiences (who I seem to get the feeling all went on to start software companies and are now mega-rich Chief Executives and CEOs earning millions).
• I still don’t like Janis Joplin. Can’t stand her voice, but i’m going to keep on trying. Bound to get it one day…
• Not sure the reason, but the film makes me really nostalgic. I wasn’t born til 1973, so who knows. Maybe we just need need to get together and get a little peace, love and understanding (man). Overall, really worth a look – now where’s my Woodstock dvd..