Festival Express

Driving that train

High on cocaine

Casey Jones, you better watch your speed

Trouble ahead

Trouble behind

And you know that notion just crossed my mind

This old engine makes it on time

Leaves central station 'bout a quarter to nine

Hits river junction at seventeen to

At a quarter to ten you know it's drivin' again

Driving that train

High on cocaine

Casey Jones, you better watch your speed

Trouble ahead

Trouble behind

And you know that notion just crossed my mind

Drive your train, whoo!

Trouble with you is the trouble with me

Got two good eyes but still don't see

Come round the bend you know it's the end

The fireman screams and the engine just gleams

Driving that train high on cocaine

Casey Jones,

You better watch your speed

Trouble ahead

Trouble behind

And you know that notion just crossed my mind

Driving that train high on cocaine

Casey Jones, you better watch your speed

Trouble ahead you know

Trouble behind

And you know that notion just crossed my mind

And you know that notion

Just crossed my mind

Goin' down the road feeling bad

Goin' down the road feeling bad

Goin' down the road feeling bad

Oh no, no

Don't wanna be treated this way

Mama told me, son...

We were going to get a whole bunch of...

acts together and do a big festival.

And rather than do it at one site,

I said, "We're going To travel the country

On a private train."

Well, the normal mode was to go into a ci...

fly into a city, do the show and then leave.

So this was... You were kind of...

more like a travelling circus.

Walker: I wanted it to be a party, so I put...

amps and a Hammond B3

and a drum kit in the bar car

and I set it up like that.

Oh, no, no

Don't wanna be treated this way

It was unusual because you never expected to...

to open a passenger car door and...

and see a band playing, you know.

Microphones and cameras and...

It was... it was not only a concert on the stage,

it was a concert for the entire travel.

The phrase that's become common now

about leaving your ego at the door,

we left... we left our egos at the station, quite frankly

Walker: I had a hard time getting C.N.

to agree to rent me the train.

Originally they told me that...

I'd have to...

go from west to east,

and I said, you know, no way.

It's "Go west, young man."

And just imagine putting

a bunch of crazy musicians together,

and... and telling them to go have a good time,

try and have a good time. Not a problem.

I knew that this was going to be our home,

for the next week, you know

I said, "Wow, what an adventure."

I thought, "This is really In the spirit of...

of... of the music,

and of the times," you know,

in trying new things.

I said, "This going to be exciting."

And the people they had on there was exciting,

as the train ride was.

It was a train full of insane people,

careening across the Canadian countryside,

making music night and day.

And then occasionally we'd get off the train

and go play a concert.

Man: The Grateful Dead, The Grateful Dead.

Don't ease don't ease

Don't ease me in

I've been all night long coming home

Don't ease me in

I was standing on the corner

With a dollar in my hand

I was looking for a woman, sweet mama

Didn't have no man

Don't ease don't ease

Don't ease me in

I've been all night long coming home

Don't ease me in

That girl I love

She's sweet and true

And that dress she wears, sweet mama

It's pink and blue

She brings me coffee

She brings me tea

You know she brings me every darn thing

But the jailhouse key

Don't ease don't ease

Don't ease me in

I've been all night long coming home

Don't ease me in

Don't ease don't ease

Don't ease me in

I've been all night long coming home

Don't ease me in

I was walking down main

Deep Ellem too

You know all the women round there

Got the texas blues

Don't ease don't ease

Don't ease me in

I've been all night long coming home

Don't ease me in

Don't ease don't ease

Don't ease me in

I've been all night long coming home

Don't ease me in

Garcia: Thank you.

And the idea of this festival was an ingenious one.

Instead of, like,

getting everybody from all over the continent

and everywhere to come to one place,

it would be like the mountain would go to Mohammed.

Like, you would take this festival

to the various places, and it was a great idea,

except, of course, by this point, it...

it had reached Canada,

the idea that all these festivals really should be free.

Just in front of the festival, we received this leaflet,

that told people to boycott

buying tickets for this festival.

And it said that, you know,

you know, this is our music.

$1 4.00 is an outrageous fee

and the festival should be free.

As I recall, there were some people

who were quite vocal about thinking that...

the musicians should be playing...

We should be playing for free,

regardless of the expense

that it takes for us to get there and...

and the fact that we need to make a living,

details like that.

I had $27,000.00 worth of pay-duty police.

400 men a shift.

And I had them on horseback.

And I had a good relationship with the police department,

so I knew I was going to be facing protesters,

and I was prepared for that.

Man: There are a hell of a lot of people out there.

They're having their heads busted by the pigs.

Crowd:

And why don't... He made his money.

Why don't you let them in now?

You don't need to get any more money.

See what I mean? The pigs are on his side.

He's a pig like the rest of them.

Hey, could everybody calm down, for a minute?

Oh, wait a minute.

Hold it. We're trying to do something, and...

and Jerry Garcia would like to explain to you

exactly what we're trying to do.

The thing we're trying to do

is organize another sort of scene that we can have here,

and we would like, if possible, man,

to have, like, about a half hour of just coolness,

so that we can work something out

that would be an alternative to all this hassling,

and see if we can avoid getting people hurt.

Man: Let people in. It's the only alternative.

Garcia: You have to remember, man,

that somebody put their neck out to put on a festival here,

they didn't have to do it.

All this stuff is, like, voluntary in nature.

Now we're trying to ma... Put on a free stage, man.

You don't have to go for it.

You can believe it or not, but that's where it's at right now.

Be back in a while.

I talked to Superintendent Art Woolmer

of Metro's finest,

and I said, "There's a little park not far from here.

Why don't we set up a free concert over there?"

And he said, "No problem."

He said, "Good idea."