13 September 2019

50 years ago this day, on 13 September 1969, a couple of weeks after the infamous Woodstock Festival  the ‘Toronto Rock’n’Roll Revival’ festival was organised. It was 
held at Varsity Stadium, at the University of Toronto, before an audience of over 20,000. The originally listed performers for the festival were among others: Whiskey Howl, Bo Diddley, Chicago, Junior Walker and the All Stars, Tony Joe White, Alice Cooper, Chuck Berry, Cat Mother and the All Night News Boys, Jerry Lee Lewis, Gene Vincent, Little Richard, Doug Kershaw, and the fabulous The Doors.

At the last minute John Lennon  & Yoko Ono with their Plastic Ono Band featuring
Klaus Voormann, Alan White, and Eric Clapton,  were announced and gave this festival a legendary status. Because of lack of decent rehearsals ahead of it and a lousy soundcheck minutes before the gig it’s a wonder that the band still managed to leave a iconic rough rock and crude roll mark (thanks mostly to John Lennon‘s highly committed and expressive presence).

Some journalists thought the POB sounded to messy! Oh yes they bloody did in a glorious rusty way. Check 4 of their handful raw performances of that night here…

–   COLD TURKEY –
(first ever live rendition)

– YER BLUES –
(from ‘The White Album’)

– DIZZY MISS LIZZY –
(song written and recorded by Larry Williams in 1958
but a live classic on The Beatles early gigs)

– MONEY –
(A Janie Bradford / Berry Gordy cover)