The Capitol Theatre Marks 100th Anniversary With All-Star Centennial Band Celebration

The Capitol Theatre officially turned 100 on August 18, 2026. Just over a month later, 1,800 people got a chance to experience a night to remember with an incredible five hours of music spanning the room’s expansive history.

Originally serving as a movie theater, by 1970, concerts had become the norm at the venue. Music would be a staple until the 1990s, when it switched to a catering hall and focused on private events. Pete Shapiro, having previously owned Wetlands Preserve and later Brooklyn Bowl, reopened The Capitol Theatre for concerts in 2012, and it’s been consistently churning out live music ever since.

Announced at the beginning of March with Pink Talking Fish as the “Centennial Band,” BERTHA: Grateful Drag as the opener, and with special guests and surprises, the excitement quickly built to a fever pitch with 13 guest musicians (plus the Gotham Horns trio) and comedian Mike Finoia being announced.

The festivities kicked off at 7:30 p.m. with Pete Shapiro coming out to introduce BERTHA: Grateful Drag, telling the full room “it’s not who shows up at a party, but how you start it off.”

In the 56 years since The Capitol Theatre officially switched over from movies to music, the Grateful Dead has been intertwined in its history. The Grateful Dead played 18 shows from 1970 to 1971 at The Capitol Theatre, which led to numerous appearances by Jerry Garcia and Bob Weir in various side projects.

Phil Lesh would go on to have over 100 shows at the theater, and more recently, Joe Russo’s Almost Dead has made Port Chester their home with 35 shows from 2013 to 2026. Having a Grateful Dead act opening the night made perfect sense, with Shapiro adding that BERTHA has “taken this music that we love that’s been in this room so many times and doing it in a new way for the future.” BERTHA played an 82-minute opening set that did a great job of capturing the Dead spirit that’s tied to the room.

After the stage was set up for The Centennial Band, Shapiro returned to greet the crowd and talked about how some of the most storied music venues from the past (referring specifically to the Fillmore East in New York City, The Winterland in San Francisco and The Capitol Theater in Passaic, New Jersey) were unfortunately gone but The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, New York stood strong, and how we were lucky to be able to continue with concerts.

Shapiro mentioned that they were coming up to 15 years since The Capitol Theatre had reopened and how thankful he was for those involved in bringing it back and to those for keeping it back. Joining Shapiro on stage was Marvin Ravikoff, who had bought the theater in 1984 when it was in need of vast repair (a hole in the ceiling and serving as a home for birds). Shapiro passed the microphone to Ravikoff, dressed in dapper form for the evening in a suit, bow tie, and top hat, who said it took 25 years to rebuild the theater and thanked the crowd for proving to all of the naysayers (who thought The Capitol Theatre couldn’t return) that they were wrong.

Before jumping into the rest of the evening, a little bit about Pink Talking Fish. They’re a quartet that consists of Eric Gould on bass, Cal Kehoe on guitar, Richard James (or Stephen Learson depending on the night) on keyboards and Zack Burwick on drums. For almost 13 years, the band has taken songs from Pink Floyd, Talking Heads, and Phish and masterfully woven them together (occasionally dabbling in covers from other bands) into setlists to the joy of those in attendance.

This was all tossed to the wayside when they became The Centennial Band, with the entire song repertoire instead consisting of acts that had performed at The Capitol Theatre since it first opened its doors to music in 1970.

Joining the foursome for much of the evening were The Gotham Horns, a trio consisting of Matt Wayne on saxophone, Greg Sanderson (from Cool Cool Cool/Remain In Light) on saxophone and Gershon Rosen on trumpet (Dogs In A Pile's Jeremy Kaplan, in one of his multiple instruments for the show, would join as an unofficial fourth member on trombone for a few songs as well).

The threesome has appeared as Pink Talking Fish’s own rendition of the Giant Country Horns that toured with Phish in 1991 (and appeared on numerous occasions throughout the ’90s) and, while playing many preexisting horn arrangements at those shows and with The Centennial Band, also performed many new horn compositions created by Wayne for this special occasion. The final two guests to appear with The Centennial Band for the majority of the show were Sammi Garett (also part of Cool Cool Cool) and Kanika Moore, who added backing and lead vocals throughout the night.

The first song from The Centennial Band wasn’t actually the creation of a band that had played at The Capitol Theatre but rather the first composition ever performed in the room, “The Star-Spangled Banner.” When The Capitol Theatre first opened its doors in 1926 to show Sea Wolf, a 10-piece orchestra greeted the audience with the tune.

Speaking to Eric Gould after the show concluded, he explained that “The Star-Spangled Banner” was played at the request of The Capitol Theatre family. What followed next was a rapid-fire four-song medley in a seven-minute span: “I’ve Seen All Good People” (Yes), “Funk #49” (The James Gang), “25 or 6 to 4” (Chicago), and finally “Lola” by The Kinks. None of the songs were played in their entirety, but it quickly ramped up the excitement for what was in store before the previously advertised special guests graced the stage.

Andy Frasco was the first musician to join The Centennial Band, singing “Rock And Roll All Nite” (Kiss) as it segued into “Never Been to Spain” (Three Dog Night). Frasco dedicated “Spain” to “the guy who almost burned himself holding the cake” in reference to a Capitol Theatre employee holding a well-lit birthday cake on stage as Pete Shapiro and Marvin Ravikoff spoke earlier. The lyrics in “Spain” were also changed to “The Capitol Theatre” to the crowd’s delight. After “Spain” concluded, Gould took a moment to explain that every artist the band was playing tribute to that night had performed on the very stage they were now playing on.

Joe Cocker was The Centennial Band’s next focus, with Matthew Moore’s “Space Captain” following Gould’s speech and with Stephen Learson getting a brief spotlight on keys while Richard James sang lead vocals. The chorus of Traffic’s “Feeling Alright” was woven in toward the end of “Space Captain.” Both of the songs were covered by Cocker, who had played at The Capitol Theatre in 1970 during his Mad Dogs & Englishmen Tour.

Kanika Moore had her first chance to take the spotlight with her fantastic singing on display for Jefferson Airplane’s “White Rabbit.” Santana’s “Soul Sacrifice” followed suit with Goose's Cotter Ellis joining Zack Burwick on a second drum set and moe.'s Vinnie Amico and Pigeons Playing Ping Pong's Alex Petropulos adding their talents on percussion. “Soul Sacrifice” launched into a drum/percussion jam for a few minutes with Kehoe and Gould exiting the stage to give the quartet the audience’s full attention.

After “Soul Sacrifice” concluded, the stage emptied, leaving Sammi Garett by herself to tell how on August 8, 1970, Janis Joplin wrote “Mercedes-Benz” a few hours before she performed it for the first time on The Capitol Theatre’s stage. Garett then sang the song to a quiet and attentive audience before a mashup of Pink Floyd’s “Interstellar Overdrive” and Jethro Tull’s “Locomotive Breath” brought the band back on stage with Jeremy Kaplan singing lead vocals and playing flute. Kaplan stayed for Frank Zappa’s “Peaches en Regalia” that followed with Cotter Ellis sitting in on percussion.

The final two songs of the first half of the night had a distinct moe. feel with Al Schnier making his first appearance of the evening and Amico sitting in on a second drum set. Schnier and Robert Randolph joined The Centennial Band on guitar and pedal steel guitar respectively for “Whipping Post” (The Allman Brothers Band) and “Layla” (Derek and the Dominos) with Ellis on percussion for both songs and along with Petropulos for “Whipping Post.” Learson and Kehoe were on display for the latter half of “Layla” with Learson spotlighted on keys before Kehoe joined.

Mike Finoia briefly graced an empty stage after “Layla,” performing a bit of stand-up comedy touching on ghosts which led to video of the late George Carlin being projected on the upstairs walls (Carlin had performed at The Capitol Theatre multiple times throughout his lifetime). Not long after he finished, The Centennial Band was ready for the second half of digging into the venue’s history, which would include multiple selections moving away from the 1970s that had dominated the evening to that point.

Bob Dylan was invited by Shapiro to be the first artist to perform at the newly reopened Capitol Theatre on September 4, 2012. In explaining this bit of history, Gould said “it wouldn’t be right” for The Centennial Band to not do a Bob Dylan song, which led to “Like a Rolling Stone” with Kehoe taking lead vocals with accompanied harmonica playing and with Frasco joining on keys.

“Gimme Shelter” (The Rolling Stones) followed in what was one of the big highlights of the evening. Greg Ormont (Pigeons Playing Ping Pong) joined the ensemble on stage for guitar and lead vocals with fellow bandmate Petropulos replacing Burwick on drums and Amico and Karina Rykman appearing on percussion. If you go back to listen to this show (it’s streaming on demand on nugs and was also taped), you’ll hear the roar of the crowd as Moore brought Merry Clayton’s vocals from the Let It Bleed track to life in soaring fashion.

Ormont and Petropulos would stick around for a beautiful rendition of Blues Traveler’s “100 Years” with Kehoe switching to acoustic guitar for the number, appropriately chosen given the “Centennial” theme. The second medley of the evening followed “100 Years” with “Bodhisattva” (Steely Dan) transforming into “Standing on the Verge of Getting It On” (Funkadelic) with the latter song giving Moore another moment to showcase her voice on lead vocals.

Learson left his keyboards twice for the next two songs in “Love Shack” (The B-52’s) and “Rockit” (Herbie Hancock), first belting out vocals center stage with a bit of Fred Schneider’s flair before returning with Richard James with keytars in hand for “Rockit” (which included a “Pop Goes the Weasel” tease).

Kehoe was left alone on stage with an acoustic guitar after “Rockit.” He shared his own Capitol Theatre story, explaining how he didn’t think he would have been in Pink Talking Fish if he hadn’t been playing in the adjacent Garcia’s. He had been playing a private event with Pink Talking Fish performing on The Capitol Theatre’s main stage, they came and checked out his set, and they ended up in the green room playing Mario Kart, adding “we’ve been in love ever since.” Kehoe instantly transformed the room into an intimate space channeling Chris Cornell in a rendition of Soundgarden’s “Black Hole Sun.”

The lineup of musicians post “Black Hole Sun” looked vastly different than what had preceded it, with The Centennial Band absent and replaced with Umphrey's McGee's Brendan Bayliss making his first appearance of the night on acoustic guitar along with Rykman on bass, Amico on tambourine, and Moore and Garett taking the vocals for “Closer To Fine” (Indigo Girls).

Pink Talking Fish has taken their musical game up a notch in past performances at The Capitol Theatre with Junta Circus and This Must Be the Cirque, which featured the band joined by circus and dance troupes. After “Closer to Fire” concluded, The Centennial Band reverted back to Pink Talking Fish briefly as Richard James began playing Phish’s “Esther” on his keyboard while accompanied by Greg Ormont reprising his role from Junta Circus as the ringmaster, speaking in verse before the band gave a nod to Phish themselves in a performance of “Divided Sky.” Ormont returned midsong and continued speaking before aerialist Brenna Bradbury ascended above the band for the remainder of the song, giving the audience a visual experience to match if not surpass what they were hearing.

Schnier next returned to the stage for lead guitar and vocals for Wilco’s “I’m the Man Who Loves You” with Bayliss on acoustic guitar. The song was a stark contrast to the expansive jam band compositions Schnier’s band is known for, and he transitioned perfectly into Jeff Tweedy’s shoes for the song. Bayliss then switched to electric guitar for My Morning Jacket’s “I’m Amazed.”

In Umphrey’s McGee’s 28 years as a band and nearly 3,000 shows, they’ve never done a My Morning Jacket cover, and The Centennial Band (with Bayliss on lead vocals, Rykman on bass, and Ellis replacing Zack on drums) nailed the song, another “par for the course” moment with these musicians tackling unfamiliar material and flourishing in the process.

Jane’s Addiction’s “Mountain Song” was next in the setlist, with Kaplan replacing James and Learson on keys, Marc Brownstein (from The Disco Biscuits) making his sole appearance on stage (although he had DJed earlier in the evening at Garcia’s) replacing Gould on bass, Rykman on bass, Bayliss on guitar, Petropulos on percussion (having also joined for “I’m Amazed”), and Garett taking on lead vocals for the tune. Listen to “Mountain Song” and you’ll also hear Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs” teased.

Frasco and Ormont returned to the stage to share vocals (and matching red and blue outfits) for the David Bowie composition “All the Young Dudes” before REO Speedwagon’s “Roll with the Changes” finished off the marathon set with James, Garett and Moore sharing vocals, Bayliss returning on guitar, and Amico and Schnier joining on percussion.

If you’ve been to shows at The Capitol Theatre, there’s a good chance you’ve seen Pete Shapiro giving a trophy to somebody on stage. The encore break featured Pete getting a trophy with a “thanks for the memories and the magic.”

To this point in the show, you may have noticed that The Centennial Band hadn’t played any Grateful Dead songs out of the vast repertoire of musical selections. They technically didn’t in the encore either, but they did play a pair of songs commonly played by the Dead with Traffic’s “Dear Mr. Fantasy” and “Hey Jude” by The Beatles (albeit just the chorus) to close out the night.

“Dear Mr. Fantasy” featured Amico on a separate drum set, Ellis, Petropulos and Frasco on percussion, Randolph on steel guitar, Rykman on bass, Schnier and Bayliss on acoustic guitars, and verses from Kehoe, James and Moore.

The ensuing “Hey Jude” (with “Dear Mr. Fantasy” teases woven in and a balloon drop) was a giant sing-along on stage with the entire ensemble from the evening and a few members of BERTHA: Grateful Drag joining in to send a happy crowd off into the night after an epic evening of music to celebrate 100 years at The Capitol Theatre.

Setlists

Centennial Band

One Set (9:17-12:16): The Star-Spangled Banner^, I’ve Seen All Good People / Funk #49 / 25 or 6 to 4 / Lola Medley^^, Rock and Roll All Nite^^^ > Never Been to Spain^^^, Space Captain^^^^, White Rabbit$, Soul Sacrifice$$, Mercedes-Benz$$$, Locomotive Breath/Interstellar Overdrive Mashup$$$$, Peaches en Regalia+, Whipping Post++, Layla+++, Mike Finoia stand-up, Like a Rolling Stone++++, Gimme Shelter%, 100 Years%%, Bodhisattva%%% > Standing on the Verge of Getting It On%%%%, Love Shack@, Rockit@@, Black Hole Sun@@@, Closer to Fire@@@@, Divided Sky*, I’m the Man Who Loves You**, I’m Amazed***, Mountain Song****, All the Young Dudes&, Roll with the Changes&&

Encore (12:20-12:30): Dear Mr. Fantasy&&& > Hey Jude&&&&

• ^ with The Gotham Horns (Matt Wayne on saxophone, Greg Sanderson on saxophone, and Gershon Rosen on trumpet)
• ^^ with Vinnie Amico, Cotter Ellis, and Alex Petropulos on percussion, Sammi Garett and Kanika Moore on backup vocals, and the Gotham Horns from Funk #49 through Lola
• ^^^ with Andy Frasco on lead vocals, The Gotham Horns, Vinnie Amico, Cotter Ellis, and Alex Petropulos on percussion, and Sammi Garett and Kanika Moore on backup vocals; with lyrics in Never Been to Spain changed to The Capitol Theatre
• ^^^^ with The Gotham Horns, Vinnie Amico, Cotter Ellis, and Alex Petropulos on percussion, and Sammi Garett and Kanika Moore on backup vocals; with Feelin’ Alright lyrics
• $ with Kanika Moore on lead vocals and only Stephen Learson on keys
• $$ with Cotter Ellis on a separate drum set, Vinnie Amico and Alex Petropulos on percussion, and only Richard James on keys
• $$$ Sammi Garett solo
• $$$$ with Jeremy Kaplan on lead vocals and flute
• + with Jeremy Kaplan on flute, The Gotham Horns, and Cotter Ellis on percussion
• ++ with Al Schnier on guitar, Robert Randolph on pedal steel guitar, Vinnie Amico on a separate drum set, and Cotter Ellis and Alex Petropulos on percussion
• +++ with Al Schnier on guitar, Robert Randolph on pedal steel guitar, Vinnie Amico on a separate drum set, Cotter Ellis on percussion, and Sammi Garett and Kanika Moore on backup vocals
• ++++ with Cal Kehoe on harmonica, Andy Frasco on keys, The Gotham Horns, and Sammi Garett on tambourine
• % with Greg Ormont on guitar and lead vocals, The Gotham Horns, Kanika Moore on vocals, Sammi Garett on backup vocals, Alex Petropulos replacing Zack Burwick on drums, and Vinnie Amico and Karina Rykman on percussion
• %% with Greg Ormont on guitar and lead vocals, Cal Kehoe on acoustic guitar, Alex Petropulos replacing Zack Burwick on drums, Vinnie Amico on percussion, Matt Wayne on saxophone, Sammi Garett and Kanika Moore on backup vocals, and only Stephen Learson on keys
• %%% with The Gotham Horns, Jeremy Kaplan on trombone, Alex Petropulos on percussion, and Sammi Garett and Kanika Moore on backup vocals
• %%%% with Kanika Moore on lead vocals, The Gotham Horns, Jeremy Kaplan on trombone, Alex Petropulos on percussion, Sammi Garett on backup vocals
• @ with The Gotham Horns, Jeremy Kaplan on trombone, and Sammi Garett and Kanika Moore on vocals
• @@ with Richard James and Stephen Learson on keytars, Alex Petropulos on percussion; with Pop Goes the Weasel tease
• @@@ Cal Kehoe solo on acoustic guitar
• @@@@ only Brendan Bayliss on acoustic guitar, Karina Rykman on bass, Vinnie Amico on tambourine, and Sammi Garett and Kanika Moore on vocals
• * preceded by Greg Ormont as a ringmaster speaking in verse to the tune of Esther (Phish); Greg talked more mid-song; with an aerialist (Brenna Bradbury); only Richard James on keys
• ** with Al Schnier on guitar and vocals, Brendan Bayliss on acoustic guitar, The Gotham Horns, and only Richard James on keys
• *** with Brendan Bayliss on guitar and lead vocals, Karina Rykman on bass, Cotter Ellis replacing Zack Burwick on drums, Alex Petropulos on percussion, and Sammi Garett and Kanika Moore on backup vocals
• **** with Jeremy Kaplan replacing Richard James and Stephen Learson on keys, Marc Brownstein replacing Eric Gould on bass, Karina Rykman on bass, Brendan Bayliss on guitar, Alex Petropulos on percussion, and Sammi Garett on lead vocals; with War Pigs (Black Sabbath) teases
• & with Andy Frasco and Greg Ormont on vocals, The Gotham Horns, and Sammi Garett and Kanika Moore on backup vocals
• && with Brendan Bayliss on guitar, The Gotham Horns, Jeremy Kaplan on trombone, Vinnie Amico and Alex Petropulos on percussion, Sammi Garett and Kanika Moore on vocals
• &&& with Vinnie Amico on a separate drum set, Cotter Ellis, Alex Petropulos, and Andy Frasco on percussion, The Gotham Horns, Jeremy Kaplan on trombone, Al Schnier and Brendan Bayliss on acoustic guitars, Robert Randolph on pedal steel guitar, Karina Rykman on bass, Kanika Moore on vocals, Sammi Garett on backup vocals
• &&&& chorus only; with Vinnie Amico on a separate drum set, Cotter Ellis, Alex Petropulos, and Andy Frasco on percussion, The Gotham Horns, Jeremy Kaplan on trombone, Al Schnier and Brendan Bayliss on acoustic guitars, Robert Randolph on pedal steel guitar, Karina Rykman on bass and vocals, everybody from the evening ensemble as well as three people from BERTHA: Grateful Drag on vocals; with Dear Mr. Fantasy teases

BERTHA: Grateful Drag

One Set (7:31-8:43): Help on the Way > Slipknot! > Franklin’s Tower, Bertha, Samson and Delilah, It’s All Over Now, That’s It for the Other One > Wharf Rat > Turn On Your Love Light