On Friday September 16, 2022 Tom Petty sideman, Mike Campbell, brought his band The Dirty Knobs to Port Chester for their first appearance at the Capitol Theatre. For two hours they did what they love: performing music that is dirty, gritty, with no regrets. Joined by John Sinay on guitar, Matt Laug on drums, and Lance Morrison on bass, Campbell and crew performed songs from their two albums along with much more. Opening with “Wicked Mind” from their latest release External Combustion, the tone was set. This was all about rock ‘n roll.
When Jerry Garcia passed away in 1995, people wondered if the Grateful Dead’s music would live on. Bob Weir and surviving members answered with a resounding, “Yes.” The passing of Tom Petty almost five years ago brings about that same type of question. The Dirty Knobs answered without hesitation.
Mike Campbell and The Dirty Knobs
Petty / Heartbreakers tunes would find their way sprinkled liberally into the night’s setlist. “Even The Losers” started it off early. Then, strapping on his twelve string Rickenbacker, Campbell shared the distinctive opening notes of “Listen To Her Heart.” Late in the evening, the band offered up a dark version of “Refugee.” With the song concluding and the crowd singing the refrain, Mike stepped forward and knelt at the foot of the stage, paying homage to the might rocker from Gainesville, Florida. The spotlight then faded to black offering a sober reminder how fragile life is.
I’m a sinner, with a rebel soul, got a wicked mind, and a heart of gold.
“Wicked Mind”
A few songs into the evening the band broke from its normal performance mode, to share John Lennon’s “Working Class Hero,” acknowledging another fallen soldier. But this was also a night for fun. Campbell had everyone singing along as the night progressed. One of the crowd favorites was “Fuck That Guy”: a tune so named by fellow rocker Chris Stapleton because we all know someone like that.
Alvin Youngblood Hart
Grammy nominated guitarist Alvin Youngblood Hart opened the night. Performing solo, Hart presented his Mississippi inspired style of blues. Throughout his set Alvin would move between electric, resonator, and acoustic guitar, accentuating the different flavors of the genre. To close, Youngblood took a turn north and performed a powerful rendition of Neil Young’s “When You Dance I Can Really Love.”
Mike Campbell and The Dirty Knobs “External Combustion” tour continues through October finishing up November 1 at the Hollywood Bowl.
The lineup for three weekends of Phil Lesh and Friends at The Capitol Theatre this October have been announced, featuring some familiar names, some familial names, and some newcomers to the Phil and Friends family.
The first weekend begins on Friday, October 14 when Phil will be joined by John Scofield, Eric Krasno, Karl Denson, Phil’s son Graham Lesh, Ivan Neville (October 14 + 16), Steve Molitz (October 15), and Alex Koford. This eclectic group of all-star rockers is the perfect group to bring everyone together for a weekend of dancing and jamming.
Next up, Phil Lesh will invite Friends for a star-studded lineup featuring Rick Mitarotonda of Goose, Grahame Lesh, James Casey, Natalie Cressman, and Jennifer Hartswick, best known for their work in the Trey Anastasio Band, and John Medeski, and John Molo for an incredible psychedlic weekend October 21, 22 + 23.
Lastly, Phil-o-Ween’s stacked roster features new members to Phil’s Capitol bands with Marcus King (October 28 + 29), Duane Betts (October 31), and longtime favorite collaborators Eric Krasno, Grahame Lesh, Nicki Bluhm, Jason Crosby, and Tony Leone!
Get tickets to the Phil and Friends shows at The Capitol Theatre here and don’t miss another legendary run this October!
Warren Haynes, Don Was and Jamey Johnson will reunite this November for The Last Waltz 2022 Tour, a live celebratory tour that pays homage to The Band’s 1976 farewell concert. The 13-show tour will see these three artists, along with an all-star lineup, to recreate moments from Martin Scorsese’s 1978 film The Last Waltz.
The concert event is presented by Robbie Robertson, his son Sebastian, and Keith Wortman of Blackbirds Presents. The aforementioned all-star lineup joining Haynes, Was, and Johnson includes Anders Osborne, Kathleen Edwards, Dave Malone, John Medeski, Cyril Neville, Terrence Higgins, Bob Margolin, Mark Mullins, along with the Levee Horns, who will play the original arrangements of the late Allen Toussaint.
The tour kicks off with two nights at The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester on November 3 and 4, then head up I-87 to Schenectady for a performance at Proctors Theatre. After a stop at The Met in Philadelphia, the tour heads to Huntington, Long Island for a show at The Paramount. The tour will conclude with a performance at the Mahaffey Theater in St. Petersburg, Florida on November 20.
Tickets go on sale here Friday, September 16 at 10 am ET.
The Last Waltz Tour 2022 Nov. 3 & 4 — Port Chester, NY @ The Capitol Theatre Nov. 5 — Schenectady, NY @ Proctors Theatre Nov. 6 — Philadelphia, PA @ The Met Philadelphia Nov. 8 — Long Island, NY @ The Paramount Nov. 9 — Wallingford, CT @ Toyota Oakdale Theatre Nov. 11 — Boston, MA @ Orpheum Theatre Nov. 12 — Washington, DC @ Warner Theatre Nov. 13 — Richmond, VA @ Altria Theater Nov. 15 — Atlanta, GA @ Coca-Cola Roxy Nov. 17 — Pompano Beach, FL @ Pompano Beach Amphitheater Nov. 18 — St. Augustine, FL @ The St. Augustine Amphitheatre Nov. 20 — St. Petersburg, FL @ Mahaffey Theater
Twiddle has announced that their annual Frendsgiving concerts will return to the Capitol Theatre on Nov. 25 and 26. The jam band’s Thanksgiving tradition continues into its fifth year, and this time will feature support from Dogs in a Pile on night one and Neighbor on night two.
Photo Credit: Filip Zalewski
Vermont-based Twiddle began the tradition in Port Chester at the Capitol Theatre in 2017. The band is comprised of Zdenek Gubb on bass and vocals, Ryan Dempsey on keyboards and vocals, Mihali Savoulidis on guitar and lead vocals, and Brook Jordan on percussion and vocals. Since then, the tradition has lasted bringing great sets from the jam band known for their jaw-dropping performances. The quartet is currently in the middle of a summer tour and the Thanksgiving show will bring them back to NY after other stops in Pennslyvania, Massachusetts, Ohio, Michigan, and Florida.
Twiddle recently released their fifth studio album, Every Last Leaf on Aug. 12. The 15-track album explores the “cyclical nature of life” and includes elements of funk, jazz, rock, and more. Listeners should expect songs that tackle all the aspects and emotions of the human condition.
Tickets for the Frendsgiving concerts are on sale now. To purchase tickets, and for more information, visit the Twiddle website.
It’s been almost seven long years since Rush played what would become their final NY Metro area shows at Prudential Center in NJ and Madison Square Garden in NYC as part of their 40th anniversary tour. The talent of the trio – Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, and the late Neil Peart – has left remarkable influences on many musicians touring today. Primus has been on the road performing their own songs as well as an entire set dedicated to performing Rush’s A Farewell to Kings in its entirety; the tour appropriately billed as “A Tribute To Kings.” A few of those recent stops were in Albany and this past weekend, The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester. Check out our coverage of Primus’ Albany show here.
NYC-based duo Battles, who formed back in 2002, put on an intriguing opening set as an excellent compliment to the rest of the evening. In some ways, the duo seemed like a live performance of a DJ, minus the turntables. Using samples, they crafted remixes and improvised jams on guitar, synths, and drums, and certainly held the attention of The Cap.
Primus took to the stage to the immediate delight of the full house crowd (which seemed to be nearly sold out at a quick glance of the room). Les CLaypool’s driving bass sound led a signature role through the first set as the band navigated through their repertoire, including the recently crafted ode to Volodomyr Zelensky, “The Man With The Iron Balls.” Proceeds from sales of that song, when released April 2022 went to benefit non-profit organization Nova Ukraine.
Donning bit of the spacey glam garb as a nod to 1978, Primus returned for the second set to perform Rush’s A Farewell to Kings in its entirety. The anticipation for this moment of the show was visible even before entering The Cap; the sheer number of Rush album and tour t-shirts in the crowd might make one wonder if they were actually at a Rush fan convention. But in fairness, for the loyal Rush fans it certainly felt that way.
Claypool noted his experience attending a Rush concert in his younger years, looking up to Geddy Lee as a tremendous influence and dreaming about someday playing bass on stage. Almost note for note, Primus recreated the album with remarkable precision to dynamics, tone and style, although Claypool joked about how difficult it was to mimic Geddy Lee’s high octave range (which he pulled off the few instances where he reached for that range).
Rounding out the night, Primus returned for an extended encore to dive back into their own songs.
Primus – The Capitol Theatre – Port Chester – May 20, 2022
Set 1: Those Damned Blue-Collar Tweekers, Lacquer Head, Groundhog’s Day, Polka Dot Rose, American Life, HOINFODAMAN, Conspiranoia, Professor Nutbutter’s House of Treats, Hamburger Train, Harold of the Rocks, The Man With the Iron Balls
Set 2: (A Farewell to Kings): A Farewell to Kings, Xanadu, Closer to the Heart, Cinderella Man, Madrigal, Cygnus X-1
Encore: On the Tweek Again, Over the Electric Grapevine, Jerry Was a Race Car Driver, Tommy the Cat, Follow the Fool
The Capitol Theatre was packed on Friday, May 13 with Deadheads young and old as Dark Star Orchestra paid homage to the Grateful Dead at the iconic Deadhead venue at The Capitol Theatre. On this night they recreated one of the Dead’s shows from their great Europe 1972 tour. More specifically the show from May 13, 1972 at Lille Fairgrounds in Lille, France. It was a hell of a set then and it was a hell of a show now.
The first set was played with precision and umph, never getting too noodley. The second set started off with a thunderous “Truckin’” into a jam filled “drums” > “The Other One.” Other highlights of the evening included “Beat It On Down The Line,” “Playing in the Band,” & “GDTRFB.”
Dark Star Orchestra – The Capitol Theatre – May 13, 2022 – recreating May 13, 1972 – Lille Fairgrounds of France
Set 1: Bertha, Black Throated Wind, Chinatown Shuffle, Loser, Beat It On Down The Line, Mister Charlie, China Cat Sunflower > I Know You Rider, Me And My Uncle, Big Railroad Blues, Next Time You See Me, Playing In The Band, Sugaree, Mexicali Blues, Casey JonesÂ
Set 2: Truckin’ > drums > The Other One > He’s Gone, It Hurts Me Too, Sugar Magnolia, Not Fade Away > Going Down The Road Feeling Bad > Not Fade AwayÂ
This past weekend, the Disco Biscuits joined the Double Digit Club at the legendary Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, performing three nights at the hallowed venue, bringing their total to eleven shows in all here. The whirlwind three nights of music featured some of the band’s most beloved songs meshed with some bustouts and first timers that all led to an incredible weekend of music at The Cap.
photo by Em Walis
The Biscuits came shooting out of the gate on Thursday night, thanks to a dusted off “Chemical Warfare Brigade,” the first one in more than six years. Another opening set highlight was a “House Dog Party Favor” that went delightfully dark and deep at times, surpassing the 20-minute mark. The set came to an end in vintage Disco Biscuits fashion with a “Story Of The World” > “Munchkin Invasion” > “Story Of The World” sequence, although “Munchkin” went unfinished and would surprisingly remain that way the entire run.
The band kept the old school hits coming with a “Hot Air Balloon” second set opener that also went unfinished, and instead morphed right into a thunderous “Shem-Rah Boo.” Emerging from “Shem,” drummer Allen Aucoin put on a drumming masterclass with the rare inverted approach to “Portal To An Empty Head.” It would be the first of many memorable song inversions this run, where a song’s ending is played immediately before its beginning.
Friday night brought with it a calendar page turn into April and all the potential for mayhem that comes along with April Fool’s Day. To that degree, a “Nughuffer” opener came as somewhat of a surprise, even admitted so by bassist Marc Brownstein in his traditional mid-song banter. But after a quick trip to Zex Sea, the Biscuits were off and running with another monster trance-fueled jam to start the show. An unfinished “Spaga” then later bled right into one of the band’s newer efforts, “Running Into The Night.”
The second set began with a mesmerizing drawn out jam that served as the runway for the intro to “Run Like Hell,” one of the band’s singature cover selections. This gave way to a parade of song inversions, starting with a very common one in “Confrontation.” A couple of inverted animals then followed suit in standout takes of “Crickets” and “Aquatic Ape” before “Basis For A Day” closed out the set in grand fashion. As an encore, the Disco Biscuits trotted out “Friend Like Steve” one more, a recently-penned birthday song for a friend of the band. Doubling down on the “FLS” songs, the band then unleashed a surprising first time ever cover of the Grateful Dead’s “Feel Like A Stranger.”
photo by Em Walis
After two nights of barn-burners, Saturday took the Biscuits legacy at the Cap to a new level. With a fan written setlist once again guiding the band, tonight’s show was a true hallmark of the weekend and raised an already elevated bar even higher.
The band came out swinging in Set 1 with “Denmark Massive,” a song not played since 2008, and originally written by The Join (Marc Brownstein, Aron Magner, and The New Deal’s Jamie Shields and Darren Shearer), as noted by Zachary Franck. The Biscuits first studio single in a decade, “Lake Shore Drive” segued cleanly from “Denmark Massive” and into an inverted “Morph Dusseldorf.” The moment the audience heard the shift into the “Morph” ending, the room lit up with energy and peaked as the band and crowd sang in unison “Morph, morph from Dusseldorf, changing all the time, and if you stay the same one day, that night will be sublime.” The moment built on that peak by segueing into the beginning of “Morph,” a none-too often occurance.
A combination of “And the Ladies Were the Rest of the Night” with a potent “Cyclone” sandwiched inside would follow, a dream setlist and nothing short of creative and challenging for the Disco Biscuits.
photo by Em Walis
“Vassillios” kicked off the second set, with neither the band nor crowd losing steam during setbreak. The eventual shift into the foreboding and evil vibe of “Orch Theme” took no prisoners and laid the groundwork for a Club Bisco vibe that reigned through the rest of the night. With the doors swung open, an inverted “Sweating Bullets,” the first ever such version, burst through for 25 minutes of peaks upon peaks that built with each successive ascent. Barber and Brownstein were found hopping around and getting down on stage, pairing well with the audience, creating a pure rock and roll moment, in the Original Rock Palace, naturally.
An equally dominant “Tempest” arrived out of “Sweating Bullets” and back into the second half of “Vassillios,” bringing the set nearly full circle. Shifting into the ending of “I Remember When,” the audience was elated in unison, singing along, a reflection on the 3 years (with two cancellations) that it has taken the Disco Biscuits to return to the Capitol Theatre stage.
Prior to the encore, Peter Shapiro, owner of the Cap, came out to reflect on hearing the Disco Biscuits for the first time in 1997 at The Wetlands, and led the crowd in singing Happy Birthday to Jon “The Barber” Gutwillig. Marc Brownstein then gave recognition to faithful longtime Tour Manager, Ryan Noel, who was spending his last run with the band this weekend, bidding him a farewell with the crowd pouring out love.
Perhaps reflecting on those sentiments, the band returned to the beginning of “I Remember When” to start the encore before shifting into Walter Murphy’s “A Fifth of Beethoven,” a final dose of disco for the night, one etched into Disco Biscuits and Capitol Theatre lore.
Disco Biscuits Capitol Theatre 2022 Setlists
Thursday, March 31
Set 1: Chemical Warfare Brigade* > Once the Fiddler Paid, House Dog Party Favor, Story of the World > Munchkin Invasion* > Story of the World Set 2: Hot Air Balloon* > Shem-Rah Boo > Portal to an Empty Head^ > The Great Abyss > Shem-Rah Boo Encore: Home Again * unfinished ^ inverted
Friday, April 1
Set 1: Nughuffer > Spaga* > Running Into the Night > Aceetobee* > Rock Candy Set 2: Run Like Hell* > Confrontation^ > Crickets^ > Aquatic Ape^ > Basis for a Day Encore: Friend Like Steve, Feel Like a Stranger& * unfinished ^ inverted & debut
Saturday, April 2
Set 1: Denmark Massive* > Lake Shore Drive > Morph Dusseldorf^ > And the Ladies Were the Rest of the Night > Cyclone > And the Ladies Were the Rest of the Night
Set 2: Vassillios > Orch Theme > Sweating Bullets% > Tempest > Vassillios > I Remember When&
Encore: I Remember When&, A Fifth of Beethoven$
* last played 6/9/08 (548 shows) ^ inverted % last played 1/31/19 (103 shows); first ever inverted version & dyslexic $ last played 11/3/18 (119 shows)
This weekend, The Disco Biscuits return to Port Chester and The Capitol Theatre with a trifecta of performances that will also feature pre-shows each evening at the adjacent Garcia’s. With signs of spring finally starting to emerge in the Northeast, one of the more iconic jam bands of the region will help turn the calendar from March to April with three nights of electronica-infused music.
This weekend will see The Disco Biscuits reach the “Double Digit” Club for shows at The Capitol Theatre with the last one on Saturday, April 2 being their eleventh show overall at this fabled venue. The band first played here in March of 2016 on a two-night run, with a rendition of “Helicopters” started on the first night and finished the next evening. The first show also featured the lone (to date) cover of Carl Carlton’s “She’s A Bad Mama Jama.”
The Disco Biscuits followed this up the next year with a three-night run at the Capitol Theatre from April 27 to 29. This time, it was “Shem-Rah-Boo” that was spread across the first two nights, with the first night also featuring a monstrous “House Dog Party Favor” to close out the second set. The following night sees one of the earlier versions of “The Champions” played and the last night’s first set gets capped off in grand fashion with a particularly spirited “Confrontation” > “Rock Candy (unfinished)” > “Confrontation” sequence of events.
The last time the Disco Biscuits graced the stage of The Capitol Theatre was in 2019 with yet another three-night run spanning January 31 – February 2. This run is probably best known for the last night as the Biscuits paid homage to their jam fore fathers The Grateful Dead who played plenty a memorable show here and started the show with a completely unexpected bust out of “Help On The Way” > “Slipknot!” > “Franklin’s Tower.” The last night also featured an inverted “Shelby Rose” and a sublime jam emerging from a first set “Shem” that seamlessly flowed into the beginning of “Cyclone.”
The band is surely guaranteed to only add to their own legacy at The Cap and it all starts each night with thee free pre-shows that start as soon as doors open. PEAK kicks off the weekend on Thursday, March 31, Microcave jams on Friday, April 1, and Sweeping Views spins some far out dance tracks on Saturday, April 2.
Attendees need a ticket to The Disco Biscuits shows to attend the pre-shows! Tickets are still available for purchase here.
Oteil Burbridge brought an incredible cast of friends and virtuosos together for an incredible two night run at The Capitol Theatre over March 11-12.
James Casey returned to the stage after recovering from chemotherapy Friday, March 11, and Jennifer Hartswick started off with a charming serenade on “Water in the Desert.” The band played several Grateful Dead tunes that paid homage to The Cap’s Dead roots and of course, Oteil’s Dead & Company affiliation. It’s always an absolute pleasure experiencing a show at this theatre especially with a band as talented and entertaining as this one.
The pair of shows featured Eric Krasno (guitar, Lettuce, Eric Krasno Band), Jason Crosby (keys, Assembly of Dust, Robert Randolph and the Family Band), Jennifer Hartswick (trumpet/vocals, Trey Anastasio Band), Natalie Cressman (trombone/vocals, Trey Anastasio Band), James Casey (saxophone/vocals, Trey Anastasio Band, Lettuce), Tom Guarna (NYC guitarist), and Pete Lavezzoli (drums/percussion, Melvin Seals and JGB).
Oteil and Friends – Capitol Theatre, Port Chester – March 11, 2022
Set 1: Water in the Desert, They Love Each Other, Cats Under the Stars, Gomorrahy, Deal, Too Many Times, In Memory of Elizabeth Reed
Set 2: Magnificent Sanctuary Band, King Solomon’s Marbles, No More Doubt, Can You Get To That, To Lay Me Down, Blue Sky, Eyes of the World, Morning Dew,The Golden Road to Unlimited Devotion, Edward the Mad Shirt Grinder
Oteil and Friends – Capitol Theatre, Port Chester – March 12, 2022
Set 1: Touch of Grey, Scarlet Begonias, Estimated Prophet, Gotta Serve Somebody, Mystery Train, Chasing, Weather Report Suite
Set 2: Hot ‘Lanta, Tough Mama, Believe It or Not, Unconditional Love, Superhighway, New Potato Caboose, Terrapin Station, Shakedown Street
Encore: Attics of My Life, Turn On Your Love Light
This October, expect to see a whole lot more of Phil Lesh at The Cap. The legendary Grateful Dead bassist has just announced a nine-show residency at the historic Port Chester venue that will take place over the last three weekends, culminating in a Phil-o-Ween show on the 31st. With his “Friends” still yet to be announced, these shows will also commemorate the 100th show for Phil at The Cap since 2012.
A Deadhead destination and a quintessential venue in Phil Lesh history, The Capitol Theatre‘s Phil-o-Ween shows are always filled with musicians who like to push boundaries and create a mind-bending, high-octane, psychedelic experience in the Grateful Dead tradition.
Tickets will go on sale starting Friday, March 25 at 12PM and can be purchased through The Cap’s website here.
