Short, loose and way laid-back, "Festival Express" is one home movie that rock-music lovers will have no problem sitting through.

It's a documentary about a five-city Canadian whistle-stop tour launched in the summer of 1970 with a lineup that included the Band, the Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin, the Flying Burrito Brothers (minus Gram Parsons), Buddy Guy and others.

The musicians rode a train westward across Canada, partying and performing at stops along the way. They had to contend with sparse crowds and violent protesters (who balked at the festival's then unheard of $14 cover charge), but they found much solace in their marathon jams in the train's bar car, which came equipped with a drum kit and a Hammond B3 organ.

Though rock disciples may enjoy "Festival" a little more than newcomers, there's still a lot of good music here - Joplin is positively inspired; the Dead, who were just months away from releasing "American Beauty," find a great bluesy groove; and Buddy Guy actually works a forklift into his act.

Bob Smeaton, who wrote and co-directed "The Beatles Anthology," assembled the movie from sundry old footage discovered in a warehouse. The movie he built from it is pretty straightforward and lacks the urgency and spark of other concert movies from the same era ("Monterey Pop," "Woodstock" or "Gimme Shelter").

But in a way that works in the movie's favor. This wasn't a concert that changed the world or marked the symbolic beginning or end of the '60s. It was barely a footnote - a bunch of great groups simply went out on a short tour that, like a lot of festivals in the days before Ticketmaster, lost truckloads of money. It was essentially a weekend getaway - but, based on the evidence at hand, they all had a blast.

Festival Express

At the Grandin Theatre. Rated R for profanity. One hour, 29 min.