That this mid-1970 Canadian 'rolling festival' (basically a one-off, financially catastrophic Triassic 'Lollopolooza') was a blatant attempt to woo the same success as the previous year's Woodstock is betrayed by headline acts the Band, Grateful Dead and Janis Joplin . There's even a remarkably gone-to-seed Sha-Na-Na at one point. Buddy Guy stands in as a poor man's Hendrix. With such a boring pack of has-beens as the main attractions it's no wonder the thing was such a disaster. There are no boundary-pushers; no Who, Hendrix, Sly Stone etcetera, and consequently no real 'showstopper' acts to spice up the movie. On the relationships side, it's all very respectful and musicianly and as deadly dull as ditch-water. The movie is reasonably well made, but there's just nothing much going on, either back-stage or on-stage. There are those who will enjoy this movie for one reason or another, but to many of us hell is being trapped in Canada, July 1970 on a train full of inebriated hippy hold-overs jamming 24 hours a day.
Review of Festival Express
