Experience the Wild Energy of Alice Cooper at the Historic Toronto Rock N Roll Revival – Watch the Chaotic Footage Now!
Toronto’s Rock N Roll Revival Festival, held in 1969, has gone down in history for several reasons, not least because it included an early Alice Cooper set that gave the world a taste of what he would bring to the scene: wild theatrics and absolute chaos.
The festival, which also featured appearances from early rock’n’rollers Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, Bo Diddley, and Gene Vincent alongside more recent arrivals Alice Cooper and The Doors, is most famous for showcasing John Lennon‘s first solo performance outside The Beatles. But it’s Cooper’s antics – and the infamous toss of a chicken he threw into the crowd – that’s the focus of a new trailer from a documentary about the event.
Filmmaker DA Pennebaker, known for his work on Bob Dylan’s Don’t Look Back and Monterey Pop, headed to Toronto with his crew in 1969 to capture the festival, resulting in the 1971 documentary Sweet Toronto. The restored footage, combined with new interviews, led to the creation of the Rob Chapman-directed film Revival69: The Concert that Rocked the World.
Featuring insights from The Doors’ Robby Kreiger, Rush‘s Geddy Lee, and Canadian singer Claudja Barry, the documentary revisits the chaotic energy of Cooper’s performance. Barry recalls, “He had half a watermelon, and I just didn’t know why. It was so chaotic. It was energetic, but so chaotic. I thought, ‘Somebody’s going to die’. They’re fighting, and hammering. It’s like when you’re in a scary movie. You don’t wanna see the axe murderer coming, so you keep your eyes covered.”
The trailer culminates with Cooper hurling a live chicken into the audience, sparking global outrage and solidifying his image as a rock’n’roll rebel. Fans can watch the new trailer and the film’s original promo clip now.
Revival69: The Concert that Rocked the World is available to stream on Crave and can be purchased or rented from YouTube, Google Play, and Apple+.
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