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Chicago – One month after John Lennon made his iconic walk across Abbey Road for that classic album cover, he got a call from Canadian promoter Johnny Brower. Would Lennon play at a Toronto rock show? The answer to that question is told in the recently released rock doc “REVIVAL69: The Concert That Rocked the World.”

REVIVAL69: The Concert That Rocked the World

Photo credit: Greenwich Entertainment

Rating: 5.0/5.0

The Toronto Rock and Roll Revival (Aka Revival ’69) was held at Varsity Stadium on September 13th, 1969, and was filmed by famed rock documentarian D.A. Pennebaker. Johnny Brower was the young promoter, who had made a name for himself as The rock concert promoter/facilitator of that era for Canada. The planned concert revival “happening” – a bill of 1950s rockers like Little Richard, Chuck Berry and Jerry Lee Lewis, even adding Jim Morrison and The Doors and a young Alice Cooper – failed to generate ticket sales.

"Combination of people on the stage is, without question, historic." Greenwich Entertainment has revealed the official US trailer for a music history documentary film titled Revival69: The Concert That Rocked the World, about the iconic 1969 Toronto Rock 'n Roll Revival music festival. Yet another music doc telling the story of "how it happened!" by looking back at how it almost didn't happen. John Lennon, Yoko Ono, Little Richard, The Doors, Chuck Berry, Alice Cooper, and other legendary musicians performed at the 1969 Toronto Rock and Roll Revival music festival. This behind-the-scenes look at "the second most important event in rock and roll history" culminates in John Lennon's very first public performance with The Plastic Ono Band, integral in triggering his decision to leave the Beatles. Forged with rare, recently discovered behind-the-scenes Super 8 verité footage, and including never-before seen 16mm film of the concert shot by D.A. Pennebaker and his crew, Revival...

Exclusive: Shout! Studios has acquired North American rights to the music documentary Revival69: The Concert That Rocked the World, about a historic happening that’s been called “the second most important event in rock & roll history.”

Ron Chapman directed the film, which held its U.S. premiere this week at SXSW in Austin, Texas, playing in the festival’s 24 Beats Per Second section. The documentary tells “the remarkable, behind-the-scenes story of how a little known, but life-altering music festival came together — against all odds,” according to a description of the film. “Young, scrappy concert promoter John Brower puts his life on the line (literally) to turn his failing Toronto Rock n Roll Revival into a one-day event… The festival united rock legends like Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, Bo Diddley, and Gene Vincent, with The Doors, who were the biggest band in the world. But it was the...

A second wave of film and television programming has been announced for this year’s South by Southwest Conference and Festivals, with highlights including the series debuts of “Swarm” and Steven Yeun starring “Beef” on opening and closing night, respectively.

A full list of honorees in the visions, global presented by Mubi, 24 beats and festival favorites categories was also unveiled in tandem with additions to previously announced sections.

“The second wave of our lineup signals that the countdown to SXSW is on! The hype train is officially leaving the station, baby!” said Claudette Godfrey, V.P. of film and TV at SXSW. “From thought-provoking documentaries and thrilling television series, to hotly anticipated studio tentpoles and micro-budget dramas, we strive to showcase the best of a diverse range of work, and couldn’t be more proud of this year’s lineup.”

From co-creators Donald Glover and Janine Nabers comes the March 10 world premiere of “Swarm,...

Festival runs in Austin, Texas, from March 10-19.

Emma Seligman’s Shiva Baby follow-up Bottoms and Jon S. Baird’s Tetris starring Taron Egerton are among the second wave of SXSW unveiled on Wednesday.

Festival organisers announced all selections in Visions, Global presented by Mubi, 24 Beats, and Festival Favorites as well as additions to Headliners, TV Premieres, Narrative and Documentary Spotlight.

New to Headliners are world premieres of Emma Seligman’s Shiva Baby follow-up Bottoms which follows two unpopular queer high school students who start a fight club to have sex before graduation; and Jon S. Baird’s Tetris starring...