John Lennon’s First Solo Show Documented in ‘Revival69’ Film

A new documentary chronicles John Lennon‘s first solo show outside of the Beatles. Revival69: The Concert That Rocked the World opens on June 28.

Celebrated documentarian D.A. Pennebaker – who also made the 1967 Bob Dylan movie Don’t Look Back, 1968’s Monterey Pop and 1979’s Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars – shot the footage from the 1969 Toronto Rock N Roll Revival; the upcoming film is directed and produced by Ron Chapman.

Revival69: The Concert That Rocked the World also includes appearances by Little Richard, the Doors, Chuck Berry and Alice Cooper.

You can watch the film’s trailer below.

Lennon’s performance with the Plastic Ono Band took place on Sept. 13, 1969, as the Beatles had just wrapped recording on their final album, Abbey Road. His concert included covers of “Blue Suede Shoes,” “Money (That’s What I Want)” and “Dizzy Miss Lizzy,” as well as the Beatles’ song “Yer Blues” and his solo “Cold Turkey” and “Give Peace a Chance.”

That show was documented on the 1969 album Live Peace in Toronto.

READ MORE: The Best Song From Every John Lennon Album

In addition to Yoko Ono, Lennon was joined onstage by Eric Clapton, Klaus Voormann and Alan White. The movie documents his path to the festival stage, which also includes performances by rock ‘n’ roll pioneers Bo Diddley and Jerry Lee Lewis. Interviews with Cooper, the Doors’ Robby Kreiger and Geddy Lee, the Rush co-founder who attended the concert.

What Beatles Movies Are Planned for 2024?

Revival69: The Concert That Rocked the World is just one of a handful of Beatles movies being planned. Their long-out-of-circulation Let It Be documentary will be shown on Disney+ on May 8, and four new biopics are in the works telling the Beatles’ story from each member’s perspective.

Sam Mendes, who directed American Beauty, 1917 and two James Bond films, Skyfall and Spectre, is behind the production of the movies, which are still in the planning stages.

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