Capitol Theatre (Passaic, New Jersey)

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.

The video for the #1 hit by Bryan Adams, Rod Stewart, and Sting called " All For Love" was filmed at the Capitol Theatre.

The band The Brothers Johnson filmed a live video at the theater on April 25, 1980.

Notable appearances

• The Four Seasons - 1972
• The Byrds - 1973 (Last concert before break-up)
• Mountain - 1973
• Stray Cats (Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble were added to the bill a half-hour before showtime)
• Hot Tuna - October 4, 1974
• Gregg Allman - 1974, Several recordings appear on The Gregg Allman Tour
• Queen - February 21, 1975 (Sheer Heart Attack Tour)
• Linda Ronstadt - December 6, 1975
• Peter Frampton - February 14, 1976 (second show)
• Dan Fogelberg - March 20, 1976
• Grateful Dead - June 18, 1976 (released as Grateful Dead Download Series Volume 4); April 25, 1977 (released as Capitol Theatre, Passaic, NJ, 4/25/77, and as part of 30 Trips Around the Sun)
• Billy Joel - October 2, 1976
• Rush - December 10, 1976
• Peter Gabriel - March 5, 1977 (his first concert as a solo artist)
• Kiss - 1977
• Rick Danko - December 17, 1977
• Journey - June 10, 1978 (first tour with Steve Perry)
• Elvis Costello and the Attractions - May 5, 1978
• The Rolling Stones - June 14, 1978
• Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band - September 19–21, 1978 (The Sept. 19 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 Roches - October 21, 1978
• Parliament-Funkadelic - November 6, 1978
• Outlaws - November 10, 1978
• Robert Gordon and Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes - December 30–31, 1978
• Willie Nelson and Leon Russell - March 1, 1979
• Judy Collins - March 10, 1979 (Hard Times for Lovers tour)
• The Who - September 10–11, 1979
• Van Morrison - October 6, 1979
• Talking Heads - November 17, 1979
• Rainbow - December 1, 1979
• The Jerry Garcia Band - March 1, 1980
• The Clash - March 8, 1980
• Ruben Blades - March 22, 1980
• Cheap Trick - March 29, 1980
• Genesis - May 28, 1980
• The Brothers Johnson - April 25, 1980
• Gary Numan - October 18, 1980
• Talking Heads - November 4, 1980
• The B-52's - November 7, 1980
• The Police - November 29, 1980
• The Allman Brothers Band - January 3 and 4, 1981
• Alice Cooper - October 10, 1981
• Ozzy Osbourne w/ Randy Rhoads on Guitar - April 24, 1981 (with Tommy Aldridge and Rudy Sarzo)
• Prince - January 30, 1982 (with Bobby Z., Brown Mark, Dez Dickerson, Doctor Fink and Lisa Coleman)
• Jerry Garcia - April 10, 1982
• Warren Zevon - October 1, 1982
• U2 - May 12, 1983
• R.E.M. - 9 June, 1984
• Lou Reed - September 25, 1984
• Jethro Tull – 28 October, 1984
• Dave Edmunds’ Ten Great Guitars with Link Wray, Dickey Betts, Johnny Winter, Brian Setzer, Steve Cropper, David Gilmour, Neal Schon, Lita Ford and Tony Iommi - November 3, 1984
• Dave Edmunds’ - 28 February, 1985
• Southside Johnny & the Asbury Jukes with guest appearance by Little Steven - September 20, 1985
• Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble - September 21, 1985
• 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