Iron & Wine – Beacon Theatre – May 14, 2013
May 15th, 2013
(Iron & Wine play the Capitol Theatre on Sunday, 5/19.)
Tag Archives: Capitol Theatre
B.B. King – the Capitol Theatre – April 11, 2013
April 12th, 2013
A Double Dose of Southern Rock This Weekend
March 13th, 2013Patterson Hood and Mike Cooley founded Drive-By Truckers in Athens, Ga., in 1996. Over the years the two musicians—plus nuanced lyrics and plenty of guitar—have been the constant while the lineup around them has changed. An early Internet presence allowed the band to gain new fans before they’d ever seen the Truckers live. But following several years of steadily touring, the group released the double album Southern Rock Opera and things really took off from there. Since gaining wider acclaim the Truckers (above, playing “Let There Be Rock”) have served as the backing band on albums by Bettye LaVette and Booker T. Jones in addition to putting out fine discs of their own, including 2011’s Go-Go Boots (stream it below). But to really experience this band, you need to see them live, which you’ve got two chances to do this weekend when Drive-By Truckers—and Old 97’s—play Capitol Theatre on Friday and The Wellmont Theatre on Saturday.
Matchbox Twenty – The Capitol Theatre – February 26, 2013
February 27th, 2013
Grace Potter and the Nocturnals – Capitol Theatre – February 23, 2013
February 25th, 2013
Trey Anastasio Band Are Firing on All Cylinders
January 24th, 2013Trey Anastasio Band – The Capitol Theatre – January 23, 2013
Just a little more than 20 years ago, Trey Anastasio led Phish through two sold-out shows at The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, N.Y. That weekend was equal parts present talent and future potential. And two decades of nearly constant playing later, potential fulfilled and then some, Anastasio returned to the historic, restored venue—the same, but different: better—for another two sold-out nights, with a second, completely different band also well on their way to maximizing their possibilities. Last night’s show opened with “Cayman Review,” setting an upbeat, major-key celebratory mood. Anastasio isn’t the lead guitarist in this group, he’s the bandleader, modeling himself, the band (percussion and a horn section that doubled as backup singers along with the traditional guitar, bass, drums, keyboards) and the music after other big bands of yore: shades of Tito Puente on the Latin-tinged opener; classic big jazz band for “Magilla”; James Brown’s heyday group in “Push On ’Til the Day”; and even notes of full orchestral music on the prog-rock “Scabbard” and “Goodbye Head,” both of which showed the prowess of an ensemble that’s grown along with Anastasio’s solo career.
Throughout two full sets, the band had plenty of opportunities to show off their wares, and like a good bandleader, Anastasio was generous with the spotlight: James Casey added a perfect dollop of flute to “Heavy Things”; Jennifer Hartswick nailed the vocals to the Gorillaz cover “Clint Eastwood”; Natalie Cressman rocked the Knopfler on trombone during the “Sultans of Swing” encore; Ray Paczkowski’s organ pushing and prodding the guitar solo in “Simple Twist Up Dave”; bassist Tony Markellis laid down the shag-carpet groove in “Push On”; and percussionist extraordinaire Cyro Baptista did a little bit of everything. Of course, what I meant to say was that Anastasio isn’t merely the lead guitar player in his own band. The show was obviously loaded with Biggie Size comes-with-fries-and-a-Coke guitar solos and jams to satisfy an audience giddy to gobble up more. In this way, the true model for the band might be Santana’s mid-era bands. The highlight jams came in “Money Love and Change,” with the group going full on jam band, scintillating guitar work leading the way.
During second-set opener “Sand” the show finally turned darker, the lights starting to find the nooks and crannies of the venue and Anastasio flexing his six-stringed muscle through the signature techno groove and the full-bore rock and roll tilt coming out of “Alaska.” Quiet moments also found their way into the set list: “Architect,” a ballad from Anastasio’s newest album began quietly, slowly building to a soaring climax, and the band’s wonderful “Ooh Child” cover was a feel-good sing-along highlight. Anastasio was chatty throughout the night, joking about how he was gung ho to play the show’s original date (the day after Hurricane Sandy struck) without realizing how big a storm it was and also extolling the virtues of the new and improved Capitol Theatre. So why stop there? I’m guessing it won’t be another 20 years until the next visit back to Port Chester. —A. Stein
(Don’t miss seeing Trey Anastasio Band play The Capitol Theatre tonight and The Wellmont Theatre tomorrow.)
Ring in the New Year with The Bowery Presents
December 31st, 2012Nights like New Year’s Eve can be overwhelming because of the pressure to have fun—not necessarily on you but on those who don’t go out often but will for big occasions. In other words, it can be amateur night. So instead of paying a cover to go to an annoying, overcrowded bar, do yourself a favor and go to one of our shows. Punch Brothers at The Bowery Ballroom and the Felice Brothers at Mercury Lounge are both sold out. But we’ve still got several great options for you: If you’re looking for a fantastic double bill of rowdy rock, head directly to The Wellmont Theatre to see the Hold Steady (above, doing “Rock Problems” on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson) and Lucero. Of course, if you’d rather spend the rest of 2012 rocking out in Brooklyn, you can do that with NYC’s They Might Be Giants at Music Hall of Williamsburg. But then you might be looking to cut loose with a different kind of music. At Terminal 5, in addition to doing their own songs, Amanda Palmer and the Grand Theft Orchestra (below, playing “The Killing Type”) will be playing all of Prince’s Purple Rain. And at the Capitol Theatre, the Funky Meters and Dumpstaphunk will have you dancing along to their funky NOLA R&B.
My Morning Jacket Blasts Off
December 28th, 2012My Morning Jacket – the Capitol Theatre – December 27, 2012
Last night was a bring-your-own-seat-belt kind of affair as My Morning Jacket played a thrill-ride roller coaster, the first of three sold-out shows at the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester. Before the main event began, though, Deer Tick treated the crowd to an opening set that felt more like a second headliner. With their keyboardist “on a plane,” the Providence, R.I., band coalesced in quartet form, tight and rocking and totally polished. The set was an open-the-next-beer-before-finishing-the-last kind, constantly propelling through songs like “The Bump” and “Main Street” before exploding with a cover of Nirvana’s “In Bloom,” the audience singing along, and finally closing with “Born at Zero.”
With that, the stage was reset and MMJ came out loud, frenetic and intense from the get-go. The superlative light show at the Cap includes lifelike projections on the venue’s walls, which can suggest an alternate reality for those inside. The music dutifully provided an otherworldly soundtrack: When the walls showed a spooky, psychedelic, come-to-life forest, “Outta My System” delved deep into a dark guitar jam and later, the walls literally went to steam as the band chugged through “Steam Engine.” Throughout there were plenty of wonderfully disassociated moments—jams in stretched-out intros or outros or just standing alone as heady instrumental moments between songs. Jacket classics like “The Way That He Sings” and “Off the Record” were glued together with blistering ad hoc guitar riffs, ambient-noise jams and techno-tinged grooves.
The band has promised no repeats for this three-night run, providing some free-form fun in the set list, which was up and down while maintaining a glorious MMJ intensity all the while. Slower songs like the red-lit “Strangulation” seemed to build to heavy hitter at a perfect pace and eventually segued into a mallet-to-the-head “Smokin’ from Shootin’.” A late-set take on Erykah Badu’s “Tyrone” was a highlight. Here, the walls seemed to go to oil slick, shimmering alive with liquid rainbow colors while the band slow-burned a long, groovy space jam to match.
The set peaked more than 100 minutes in with a monster feedback jam that fed into a loop-de-loop “Mahgeetah.” Still, plenty of track remained for Jim James and Co. as they came out and did a mini-set encore that encapsulated the energy of the show with another 40 minutes of music that included a quieter acoustic-guitar section highlighted by a solo version of “Bermuda Highway,” James ensconced in spotlight, his voice carrying the room. As the night came to a close, the walls went spacey, stars flying by at unnatural speeds as MMJ went into an intergalactic “Gideon.” The song built to yet another climax, entire galaxies floating by the audience. There were only a few questions to be answered: Were we returning to terra firma after a cosmic journey or had we finally left the atmosphere? And more important: Was your seat belt still buckled? —A. Stein
Two Nights of Matisyahu’s Festival of Light This Weekend
December 14th, 2012Some stories seem like you’ve heard them before. But that’s probably not the case with Matisyahu’s. As a teenager on Phish tour, Matthew Miller had an interest in hip-hop and reggae. Later he grew interested in the strict Lubavitch Hasidic sect of Judaism and joined a synagogue where his musical ambition was encouraged. Soon enough Miller had a talented backing band and—under the name Matisyahu—he became an engaging performer of his own mash-up of dancehall, hip-hop, reggae and rock. About a year ago, Matisyahu decided to go beardless, saying, “No more Chassidic reggae superstar. Sorry, folks, all you get is me…. I am reclaiming myself. Trusting my goodness and my divine mission.” But despite the change in his appearance, Matis’s music remains as good as ever: His fourth LP, Spark Seeker (stream it below), debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Reggae Chart earlier this year, and this weekend Matisyahu (above, doing “Happy Hanukkah” on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno) closes out his Festival of Light tour with two shows, tomorrow night at Terminal 5, followed by an acoustic set on Sunday at the Capitol Theatre.
Counting Crows – Capitol Theatre – October 23, 2012
October 24th, 2012
Blues Traveler – Brooklyn Bowl – October 11, 2012
October 12th, 2012
(Blues Traveler play Brooklyn Bowl tonight and, with Spin Doctors, play the Capitol Theatre on Saturday.)
The Roots/Bob Weir – The Capitol Theatre – September 7, 2012
September 10th, 2012
This show was a benefit for HeadCount.
(See the Roots play the Capitol Theatre three more Fridays this month: with the Dirty Dozen Brass Band on 9/14, with Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe on 9/21, and on 9/28.)
The Cap Is Officially Back
August 6th, 2012A broke-down palace no more, the lovingly restored Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, N.Y., reopens for business on 9/4 (the headliner will soon be announced). Built in 1926, the venue once hosted the biggest musical acts of the day. Names like the Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, Janis Joplin and the Grateful Dead, who once played the Cap 16 times in just 12 months. But the place eventually became a catering hall and special-events facility. No longer. Live music is returning! It will have “the best sound, the best lights and the best video-projection technology of any theater anywhere. Our plan is to turn the knob to 11 in every way possible,” says Peter Shapiro of Brooklyn Bowl. The beloved bowling alley/restaurant/music venue again teams up with Blue Ribbon for food and The Bowery Presents to book the bands. And once again, the calendar is filled with big names, including four shows with the Roots in September, three My Morning Jacket dates in December and the likes of Galactic, Fiona Apple, Warren Haynes, Al Green and a whole lot more in between. Some shows are already on sale and others will be soon, so check the calendar so you don’t get left out.
The Cap Is Back!
December 22nd, 2011
A venue with a vivid rock past will breathe new life beginning in the middle of next year, as music entrepreneur Peter Shapiro reopens the historic Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, N.Y. “The Capitol Theatre is a rock and roll icon and we are going to treat her as such,” he says. “We are going to spoil her and give her the best of everything—the best sound, the best lights and the best video projection technology of any theater anywhere. Our plan is to turn the knob to 11 in every way possible.”
The Cap once hosted the likes of David Bowie, Derek and the Dominos, the Grateful Dead, Pink Floyd and the Rolling Stones. And with The Bowery Presents booking it, the place will soon rock again. And don’t think just because it’s in the suburbs that the Capitol Theatre is far away. The theater, 22 miles from NYC, is one block from the Port Chester Metro North train station, which is just a 36-minute ride from Grand Central. And we’ll see you there soon enough!
