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. Opened in 1921 as a vaudeville house, the Capitol later served as a movie theater, and then as a venue for rock concerts.

Capitol Theatre
Address326 Monroe Street
LocationPassaic, New Jersey
Coordinates40.8645°N 74.1280°W / 40.8645; -74.1280
OwnerJohn Scher
Genre(s)Rock
Capacity3,200
Construction
Built1921
Closed1989
Demolished1991

Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, the 3,200-seat theatre was a popular stop on many major rock artist's tours. 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.

History

Vaudeville and films

The Capitol Theatre opened on October 7, 1921 with sold-out a concert by the U.S. Marine Band, which helped raise funds for a pipe organ in the city's high school.[1]

By the 1960s, it was known as the Capitol Cinema, and by 1970s the theater was showing adult films.

Rock venue

On June 27, 1971, the popular Fillmore East theater in Manhattan closed, ending owner and rock promoter Bill Graham's stipulation that acts who played at his venue were prohibited from performing at any theater within 75 miles for the following four months. John Scher, a young rock promoter from West Orange, New Jersey, seized on the closure of the Fillmore East by taking over the Capitol Theatre and transitioning it into a rock venue.[2]

The first concert at The Capitol Theatre was by The J. Geils Band and Humble Pie on December 16, 1971.[3]

The theater closed in 1989 due to a variety of factors, including the changing music industry and the 1981 opening of Brendan Byrne Arena at the nearby Meadowlands Sports Complex. John Scher had transitioned to also promoting concerts at the arena, enabling much of the Capitol Theatre staff to obtain employment there when the theater closed.[2]

The Marshall Tucker Band concert from February 18, 1977 was released on December 4, 2007 as a 2 CD/DVD package called Carolina Dreams Tour '77, marking the 30th anniversary of the concert. This is the only known footage of a complete concert by the original members.

Notable appearances

References
  1. "Capitol theatre opening". The Herald-News. October 8, 1921. p. 1. Retrieved April 11, 2020.
  2. Jersey, Tris McCall | For Inside (January 29, 2012). "John Scher: A life in rock music, in New Jersey and far beyond". nj. Retrieved April 11, 2020.
  3. "Capitol Theatre, Passaic, NJ, USA Concert Setlists | setlist.fm". www.setlist.fm. Retrieved April 11, 2020.
  4. Matheson, Whitney. "My fave Music Vault finds: R.E.M., U2, Blondie and more". USA TODAY. Retrieved March 30, 2020.
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