Episode 59: Bands and Booze on the Festival Express of 1970
PLAY LIST
Friend of the Devil by The Grateful Dead (1970)
Tell Mama by Janis Joplin (1970)
Only You Know and I Know by Delaney & Bonnie & Friends (1970)
Money (That’s What I Want) by Buddy Guy (1968)
The Weight (Live) by The Band (1970)
SHOW NOTES
The Festival Express in 1970 was an unconventional and iconic rock tour that transported a lineup of major artists across Canada by train, creating a moving music festival and a unique snapshot of late-1960s counterculture transitioning into the 1970s. Over several days in June, the chartered Canadian Pacific Railway sleeper train carried bands and solo acts — including the Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin, The Band, Neil Young, Traffic, and Delaney & Bonnie & Friends — between stops in Toronto, Winnipeg, and Calgary, where sprawling outdoor concerts drew tens of thousands. The intimacy of life on the train, marked by impromptu collaborations, jam sessions, and a camaraderie captured in footage later released as a documentary, contrasted with the logistical challenges and heat of the festivals themselves. Festival Express was not a financial success but it should be remembered as an important milestone in rock history as a signal of changes to come.
SOURCES
Adams, James. 2004. “The Tracks of His Tears.” Globe and Mail, July 24, 2004.
Dampier, Bill. 1970. “Janis Joplin Lit Up the Stage by Herself.” Toronto Star, June 29, 1970.
DeCurtis, Anthony. 2004. “Music; 5 Days, 2,100 Miles, Countless Bottles.” New York Times, July 25, 2004.
Festival Express. 2004. ThinkFilm. Tubi.
“Friend Of The Devil by Grateful Dead.” n.d. Songfacts. Accessed February 17, 2026. https://www.songfacts.com/facts/grateful-dead/friend-of-the-devil.
Hoskyns, Barney. "Choo Choo Ch’Boogie: Festival Express 1970". Rock's Backpages (2004). The Band, Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin. Rock's Backpages. Accessed February 16, 2026. http://www.rocksbackpages.com/Library/Article/choo-choo-chboogie-festival-express-1970.
Rodriguez, Juan. “The Original D&B.” Montreal Star. March 20, 1971.
SiriusXM. 2015. “Buddy Guy’s Experience on the Festival Express // SiriusXM // BB King’s Bluesville.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SGVzww8JriY.
“Young Promoters Hoping to Improve Festivals’ Image.” Toronto Star. June 27, 1970.
Wilonsky, Robert. 2004. “Train Kept A'Rollin.” Dallas Observer, August 26, 2004. https://www.dallasobserver.com/music/train-kept-a-rollin-6384486/.