Legendary lineup: 'Revival 69' goes behind the scenes at 'The Concert that Rocked the World'

Ron Chapman has been surrounded by music his entire life.

As a filmmaker, he focuses on films that tell stories that aren’t so mainstream.

Case in point: “Revival 69: The Concert that Rocked the World.”

“My focus when I do documentaries is not on the subject itself, but the behind-the-scenes aspect of the event,” he said. “Being based in Canada, I also have an interest in Canadian events.”

Legendary lineup: 'Revival 69' goes behind the scenes at 'The Concert that Rocked the World'

“Revival 69: The Concert that Rocked the World” tells the story of how a little-known but life-altering music festival came together against all odds in 1969.

The documentary will air at 8:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 31, on New Mexico PBS, channel 5.1. It will also be available to stream on the PBS app.

Young, scrappy concert promoter John Brower put his life on the line (literally) to turn his failing Toronto Rock ’n’ Roll Revival into a one-day event, later coined in rock mythology as “the second most important event in rock ’n’ roll history.”

The festival united rock legends like Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, Bo Diddley and Gene Vincent with The Doors, the biggest band in the world at the time. But the 11th-hour arrival of John Lennon and the Plastic Ono Band ignited a seminal moment for the 20,000 fans at Toronto’s Varsity Stadium, triggering Lennon’s final decision to leave The Beatles forever.

Chapman said the documentary includes exclusive interviews with iconic musicians like Alice Cooper, Robby Krieger (The Doors), Alan White (Yes), Geddy Lee (Rush), Danny Seraphine (Chicago) and Klaus Voormann (Manfred Mann, The Beatles).

“The film features rare, recently-discovered behind-the-scenes Super 8 verité footage and never-before-seen 16 mm film of the concert shot by D.A. Pennebaker and his crew,” Chapman said. “The film is an exhilarating VIP ride into a pivotal moment in music history, told through the eyes of those who were there: the musicians, the mavericks behind the scenes and all who witnessed history in the making.”

Chapman worked on the film for more than six years — most of which came in the form of raising funds for the documentary.

“We had all the footage we needed,” he said. “This festival wasn’t as well-known or publicized as others, but there’s history there.”

Chapman says his biggest obstacle was making sure the documentary didn’t become a concert film.

“I wanted to show the challenges of what the promoters went through,” he said. “This show almost didn’t happen. I wanted to be able to bring people back in time as they watch the film.”

Chapman said Brower planned the festival and it was done by word of mouth.

“People across the country, including the United States, were finding out about the show through their friends,” he said. “There was no social media. DJs would talk about the concert and then it would spread from there. Most of the people found out about the show through record stores.”

As the festival’s profile began to rise, it was Lennon who decided to grab three other musicians and perform.

“The promoters didn’t know this was going to happen,” Chapman said. “It became a huge moment in pop culture history. Twenty thousand people were on hand to witness it and it was captured perfectly.”

Along with interviews and footage from the festival, Chapman and his crew threw in some animation to transition the piece.

“There’s homage to ‘Yellow Submarine’ in there,” he said. “The animation helps put the viewer in there.”

As the documentary gets a premiere on PBS, Chapman is hopeful that it will bring more attention to the festival.

“It was put on in Canada and most people don’t know about it,” he said. “This is my opportunity to shed light on one of the greatest music festivals in history. It says so much about what was happening during that time.”