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'D tour' Review
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D tour premieres November 10th on PBS's 'Independent Lens' series
Jim Granato's new documentary D tour wins my vote for best music documentary of the year and is a must see for anyone who wants to see how life's fragility impacted a successful band away from the stage. The film chronicles Rogue Wave member Pat Spurgeon's battle with a failing kidney (he was only born with one), and his struggles while on tour.
The film, which will be airing on PBS's Independent Lens series in November, quickly sheds light on the vulnerable life of Spurgeon as a dialysis patient. The question arises between bandmates if he should be touring under conditions where he would have to cope with dialysis and extreme dietary restrictions. Given how exhausting the touring process is for even the healthiest musicians, many thought it was absurd for Spurgeon to put this kind of pressure on himself--but he was determined to pursue his lifelong dream as a drummer in a respected band, and that's exactly what he did.
D tour is an incredibly moving story where we see bandmates, friends, and family all step forward to support Spurgeon through tough times. His lively personality, good sense of humor, and amazing hair would probably make anyone want to donate a kidney to him, but it became difficult to find a living donor, because he has a rare blood type with a 1 in 20 chance of someone being a match. At the time, Spurgeon was on a 6 year kidney transplant waitlist, after the first kidney transplant he received was unsuccessful. Most Rogue Wave show attendees, who saw him rocking out on the drums, had no idea that he was undergoing dialysis just hours beforehand in the back of the band's touring van.
This film beautifully weaves life and death, and leads to a rollercoaster of emotions at times. Those familiar with Rogue Wave may know that their former bassist, Evan Farrell, passed away in 2007, after a faulty space heater triggered an apartment fire. This documentary was mainly shot while he was alive, and he plays an active role in it. He was a hilarious and genuine guy, who had dropped out of the band to spend more time with his wife (who was fully prepared to give a kidney to Spurgeon) and kids. For many, this documentary will be their introduction and goodbye to Farrell, which is really unfortunate. Farrell was an organ donor, which ultimately went to help six other people after his death.
If you are a fan of Rogue Wave, like I am, you will love this inside documentary. Even if you don't care for their music, you can still get a lot out of this touching story. In addition to Rogue Wave, there are band appearances by Ben Gibbard, John Vanderslice, Nada Surf, and the Moore Brothers, all of whom played a fundraising concert for Spurgon.
D tour trailer:
ITVS Community an Future of Music Coalition will be supporting D tour with Community Cinema screening events in support of its national broadcast on 'Independent Lens' on November 10, 2009. The screenings are all free, and are coming up extremely soon--check the listings here.
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