Capitol Theatre (Passaic)
The Capitol Theatre was an entertainment venue located at the intersection of Monroe Street and Central Avenue in Passaic, New Jersey. Built in 1926 as a vaudeville house, the Capitol later served as a movie theater (in its later years a XXX movie theatre) and (after John Scher bought the property) a venue for rock concerts.
Throughout the 1970s and into the mid-1980s, the 3,200 seat theatre was a popular stop on nearly every major rock artist's tour. The venue was known for its in house video system which resulted in a number of good quality, black and white video bootlegs. After it closed, the building fell into disrepair and it was demolished in April 1991. A shopping center known as Capitol Plaza occupies the site now.
The Marshall Tucker Band concert from February 18, 1977, which was recorded at the Capitol Theatre was released on December 4, 2007 as a 2 CD/DVD package, called Carolina Dreams Tour '77 marking the 30th anniversary of the concert, on Shout! Factory/Ramblin' Records distributed by Sony BMG. This is the only known footage of a complete concert by the original members.
Notable appearances
- The Byrds (Last concert before break-up)
- The Four Seasons (Promoter James B. Sansone 1972)
- Stray Cats (1/2 hour before showtime... Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble were added to the bill.)
- Peter Frampton (second show) - February 14, 1976.
- Dan Fogelberg (with Fools Gold) - March 20, 1976. (a good quality black and white video of this 2 hour show is available online).
- Grateful Dead - June 18, 1976 (recorded and released, as Download Series Volume 4)
- Billy Joel - October 2, 1976 (Turnstiles tour)
- Rush - Dec 10, 1976 (2112 tour)
- Peter Gabriel - March 5, 1977 (his first concert as a solo artist)
- Rick Danko - December 17, 1977 (with Terry Danko, Michael De Temple and others)
- Journey - Jun. 10, 1978 Infinity Tour (first tour with Steve Perry)
- The Rolling Stones - June 14, 1978
- Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band - September 19–21, 1978 (The Sept. 19th show was broadcast throughout the tri-state area and remains a famous concert, among fans, for the intensity of the performance.)
- Frank Zappa - October, 13 1978 (two shows on one day)
- The Who - September 10–11, 1979
- Van Morrison - October 6, 1979
- Talking Heads - November 17, 1979 (songs from a recording of this concert appear on their 1982 live album
- Rainbow_(rock_band) - December 1, 1979 (76 minute video of show with Graham Bonnet on vocals)
- The Clash - March 8, 1980
- Genesis - May 28, 1980
- Talking Heads - November 4, 1980
- The Police - Nov 29, 1980
- The Allman Brothers Band - July 14, 1972 and December 16, 1981
- Dave Edmonds' Ten Great Guitars, with Link Wray, Dickey Betts, Johnny Winter, Brian Setzer, Steve Cropper, David Gilmour, Neal Schon, Lita Ford and Tony Iommi (On November 3, 1984)
- Ozzy Osbourne w/ Randy Rhoads on Guitar - April 24, 1981 Tommy Aldridge on Drums, Rudy Sarzo on Bass, and Lindsay Bridgewater on Keyboards.
- Jerry Garcia - April 10, 1982
- Prince - January 30, 1982 with Bobby Z. (drums), Brown Mark (bass), Dez Dickerson (guitar), Doctor Fink (keyboards), Lisa Coleman (keyboards)
- U2 - May 12, 1983
- Beastie Boys - April 1, 1987 (Murphy's Law and Public Enemy open. The first show in which Flavor Flav wears his signature clock necklace on stage.)
External links
- The Capitol Theatre Passaic Website
- Extensive collection of photos and programs from the music era of the Capitol
Coordinates: 40°51′51″N 74°07′42″W / 40.86418°N 74.12820°W