Festival Express

6/3…checked out Festival Express at the Egypto. This doc chronicles a 1970 rock tour across Canada, and so, accordingly, the show was introduced by “Janis Joplin,” “Jerry Garcia,” and “Sly Stone.” But wait! I know my rock history…Janis and Jerry are dead! So it couldn’t be them. And it wasn't; it was, in fact, a very cleverly disguised trio of Helen Loveridge (as Janis), Darryl Macdonald (Jerry), and Carl Spence (Ian, with massive afro). Janis led us in no, not Country Joe MacDonald’s infamous “Fish Cheer” (“Give me an F!…”), but a “SIFF Cheer.” She then demanded that we sing, and led us in a spirited rendition of Joplin’s “Mercedes Benz” (and yes, we sang; first verse only).

Well, that was almost as much fun as the movie, directed by Bob Smeaton, who also worked on the Beatles Anthology. The tour was the brainchild of promoters Ken Walker and Thor Eaton, and involved stuffing the tour roster on a train to trek across Canada, partying all the way. And since the roster consisted of Joplin, the Grateful Dead, the Band, the Flying Burrito Brothers, Buddy Guy, and more, there was much partying to be had (yes, even putting SIFF to shame!). Cameras were apparently there capturing everything, and a split-screen set-up is often used just to capture all the action. Contemporary interviews fill in the gaps. The soundtrack was mixed by Eddie Kramer, who’s worked on the Jimi Hendrix catalogue to name a few, and it’s sterling, though there was too much of the Dead and the Band for my tastes, I’d rather have had more of Joplin (and her performances of “Cry Baby” and “Tell Mama” drew applause from the SIFF audience). This film really captures the spirit of the times, as you’ll be able to see when it opens which I believe is fairly soon…my Varsity calendar is buried somewhere, but due to the wonder of blog editing, I can probably add the correct info in later.