Concert Review: 100 Years Young: The Capitol Theatre Celebrates a Century of Rock & Roll

Pink Talking Fish, BERTHA: Grateful Drag and an all-star cast celebrate The Cap’s first 100 years with music, history and plenty of surprises.

PORT CHESTER, NY — September 19, 2026

There are concert venues, and then there are rooms where you can almost feel the history in the walls. The Capitol Theatre is one of those rooms.

Affectionately known as “The Cap” and “The Original Rock Palace,” the legendary Port Chester theater celebrated its 100th anniversary Saturday night with a musical journey through the artists and eras that have defined its stage.

For me, this one was personal. I grew up just across the state line in Greenwich, Connecticut, and caught shows at The Cap in the early ’90s. To be back decades later, photographing its centennial celebration as one of The Capitol Theatre’s house photographers, made the night especially meaningful.

Opened in 1926, The Cap evolved into one of America’s great rock rooms, hosting everyone from Pink Floyd and Janis Joplin to the Grateful Dead, who played 18 shows here in 1970 and 1971. After years away from regular concerts, Peter Shapiro brought the theater roaring back to life in 2012.

The centennial celebration began outside with Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins and Port Chester Mayor Luis Marino proclaiming September 19 Capitol Theatre Day. Inside Garcia’s, Marc “Brownie” Brownstein of The Disco Biscuits set the mood as house DJ.

Then BERTHA: Grateful Drag kicked things off with “Help on the Way” > “Slipknot!” > “Franklin’s Tower.” The Nashville-based all-drag Grateful Dead tribute band brought plenty of theatrical flair, but the playing was even more impressive. It was a fitting nod to the Dead’s deep history with the room.

Before the main event, Shapiro was joined onstage by former Cap owner Marvin Ravikoff, wearing a top hat and sharing stories from his decades with the theater. Add a birthday cake with rapidly melting candles and The Cap’s giant squirrel mascot, and you had the perfect mix of history, heart and silliness. Seeing Marvin and Peter together felt like a symbolic passing of the baton between generations.

The house band, Pink Talking Fish, is made up of Eric Gould, Ricky James, Steve Learson, Zach Burwick and Cal Kehoe. Pink Talking Fish became The Centennial Band, leading a marathon trip through The Cap’s musical history with the Gotham Horns and an all-star rotation of guests including Robert Randolph, Brendan Bayliss, Karina Rykman, Andy Frasco, Kanika Moore, Cotter Ellis, Al Schnier, Vinnie Amico, Marc Brownstein, Greg Ormont, Alex Petropulos, Jeremy Kaplan and Sammi Garett.

The evening moved freely across rock, funk, soul, psychedelia, jam and grunge, with comedian Mike Finoia even dropping in for a mid-show stand-up set. All the music from the night were songs from artists who have played at The Cap - a fitting nod to the past, played by top touring musicians on the scene today.

One of the night’s most unforgettable moments came during Phish’s “The Divided Sky.” An aerial performer descended above the crowd on two long silks, twisting and soaring over the theater while the band played below. For a few minutes, The Cap became a psychedelic rock-and-roll circus.

That was really the spirit of the entire night: you never quite knew where to look next.

The celebration closed with “Dear Mr. Fantasy” flowing into “Hey Jude” as balloons dropped over the crowd.

A hundred years of music. A hundred years of stories.

And judging by Saturday night, The Original Rock Palace continues to stamp its history into the books.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Pink Talking Fish — The Centennial Band Setlist

• The Star-Spangled Banner — John Stafford Smith & Francis Scott Key

• I've Seen All Good People — Yes

• Funk #49 — James Gang

• 25 or 6 to 4 — Chicago

• Lola — The Kinks

• Rock and Roll All Nite — KISS (with Andy Frasco)

• Never Been to Spain — Hoyt Axton (with Andy Frasco)

• Something in the Air — Thunderclap Newman (with "Feelin' Alright" snippet)

• White Rabbit — Jefferson Airplane (with Kanika Moore)

• Soul Sacrifice — Santana (with Cotter Ellis; drum jam)

• Mercedes Benz — Janis Joplin (a cappella)

• Locomotive Breath — Jethro Tull (with "Interstellar Overdrive" intro)

• Peaches en Regalia — Frank Zappa

• Whipping Post — The Allman Brothers Band (with Robert Randolph)

• Layla — Derek and the Dominos (instrumental)

• Like a Rolling Stone — Bob Dylan

• Gimme Shelter — The Rolling Stones (with Kanika Moore)

• 100 Years — Blues Traveler

• Bodhisattva — Steely Dan

• Standing on the Verge of Getting It On — Funkadelic

• Love Shack — The B-52s

• Rockit — Herbie Hancock (with "Sand" tease)

• Black Hole Sun — Soundgarden (with Cal Kehoe; acoustic)

• Closer to Fine — Indigo Girls (with Karina Rykman)

• The Divided Sky — Phish (with aerial performance)

• I'm the Man Who Loves You — Wilco (with Brendan Bayliss)

• I'm Amazed — My Morning Jacket (with Brendan Bayliss)

• Mountain Song — Jane's Addiction (with Brendan Bayliss, Sammi Garett on vocals, and a "War Pigs" tease)

• All the Young Dudes — David Bowie (with Andy Frasco)

• Roll With the Changes — REO Speedwagon (with Brendan Bayliss)

Encore

• Dear Mr. Fantasy — Traffic > Hey Jude — The Beatles

BERTHA: Grateful Drag Set

• Help on the Way > Slipknot! > Franklin's Tower

• Bertha

• Samson and Delilah

• It's All Over Now

• Cryptical Envelopment > The Other One

• Wharf Rat

• Turn On Your Love Light