Part of Music City Mondays

This is not what you’re expecting. A political thriller with a classic rock band at the heart of the action? The U.S. State Department, the Nixon White House, the governments of Yugoslavia, Romania and Poland, along with suppressed documentary footage from 50 years ago all figure into the unlikely story of the rise and fall of Blood, Sweat & Tears.

In June 1970 — and at the height of their popularity — Blood, Sweat & Tears becomes the first American rock band to perform behind the Iron Curtain, a curious decision given that band members have been critical of the Nixon administration and the Vietnam War. Upon their return, the band finds themselves in the crossfire from both the Right AND the Left. Through documentary footage shot during the Iron Curtain tour (and thought to be lost) and present-day interviews with band members and historians, as well as the unsealing of government records, this new film unravels the details.