The Capitol Theatre has announced a 100th Anniversary Celebration Concert set for Saturday, September 19th [get tickets].
Headlining the evening is Pink Talking Fish, who will perform under the special billing The Centennial Band. The night will also feature BERTHA: Grateful Drag along with additional special guests and surprises throughout the evening.
Designed by architect Thomas W. Lamb, The Capitol Theatre opened in 1926 as a vaudeville and cinema palace. By the late 1960s it had transformed into a concert venue that became a favored stop for acts including the Grateful Dead, who played over a dozen shows there between 1970 and 1971. Jerry Garcia said that The Cap and the Fillmore East were the only two theaters in the country “set up groovy all around for music.” Janis Joplin, Pink Floyd, Traffic, Jefferson Airplane, and the Allman Brothers Band were among the many others who made the stage their own during that era.
The venue changed hands and formats over the following decades, cycling through plays, rock concerts, and eventually a catering hall for weddings and private events. The theater’s current chapter began in 2012, when music entrepreneur Peter Shapiro—owner of Brooklyn Bowl and former owner of New York City’s Wetlands Preserve—undertook a full restoration and reimagined The Cap as what he described as a “music planetarium,” outfitted with state-of-the-art sound, lighting, and visuals.
The venue reopened on September 4th, 2012 with Bob Dylan on opening night. The adjacent space was converted into Garcia’s bar, honoring the late Grateful Dead guitarist with the blessing of the Garcia family. Phil Lesh, the Dead’s founding bassist, played a pivotal early residency that helped reestablish the venue’s deep connection to that legacy—a bond honored all the way through March 2023, when Lesh played his 100th show at The Cap. Following his passing in late 2024, Phil Lesh Lane was unveiled in Port Chester in his memory. Today, the venue remains a touchstone of the jam and live music community, with Phil’s son Grahame Lesh carrying the torch with his Unbroken Chain residency for his dad’s birthday.
Related: Grahame Lesh & Friends Set 2-Night Joy Theater Run During New Orleans Jazz Fest 2026
The centennial event brings that history full circle, celebrating 100 years of live music, community, and the artists who made The Capitol Theatre legendary.
Tickets for the Capitol Theatre 100th Anniversary Celebration Concert will go on sale Friday, March 6th at 12:00 p.m. ET via Ticketmaster.
