The Capitol Theatre celebrates 100 years

Westchester's Capitol Theater is celebrating a milestone, 100 years of bringing live entertainment to Westchester. Some of the biggest names in music have performed there. FOX 5's Ryan Christopher takes us on a trip down memory lane. I saw my first show here in 1995. It's like a venue by the people, for the people. Some of the greatest shows that I've ever seen have been in this building. 100 years is such a huge milestone with all the amazing artists that have played here over the years and all the fans and the people that have been here. And for a beautiful historic venue like this to have stood the test of time, it's very cool. The Capitol Theater first opened its doors in 1926 in Port Chester, New York, and has since gone through many chapters in its illustrious history. We love to talk about the 70s here at the Capitol Theater, where you had basically every major rock and roll band came through. The Grateful Dead played 18 shows here, Janis Joplin wrote Mercedes Benz on a napkin at a bar down the street and played it here for the first time, Pink Floyd, Jefferson Airplane, Fleetwood Mac, you name it. While the Cap was home to some of the biggest rockers in the 70s, it also had a bit of a renaissance in the 90s. You had Phish that played seven shows, Blues Traveler, the Spin Doctors. We also had an incredible week where David Bowie played and the Rolling Stones played. In 2012, the theater was renovated and reopened all thanks to the investment of Pete Shapiro and still to this day, a place for community and good vibes. You don't no longer have to go into the city to see a great band. Every time that I come here, I cherish the experience. Music venues are safe spaces, they are gathering spaces, they build community, and people that come here meet their best friends, they meet their partners, babies are born. The beauty of the theater is a story of its own, with hidden Easter eggs etched into the design. There are about over 200 squirrels hidden in the theater that you can find carved inside the walls. So that dome up there, it's so ornate, it's majestic, it's beautiful, and you can actually change the lighting in there? Yes, we are fully projection mapped. We have the most incredible projectionist, Juliet, who will transform the whole theater. It can be the most psychedelic projection. I get people reaching out to me all the time saying, we love the CAF, we want to celebrate here, we got engaged here, we want to get married here, or we met here, we want to get engaged here. So it's very special to be part of those moments. This is really a place where anyone of any age can come and enjoy the art and the culture and the music that they enjoy with their friends, with their families. A hundred years have gone by, and we hope that for another 300 years of The Grateful Dead and of music, an unlimited time of music. A lot of great shows have happened here. The Grateful Dead played here 13 times, so it's crazy that it's still alive. The Capitol Theater will celebrate their centennial Saturday night with Bertha Grateful Drag and the renowned tribute band Pink Talking Fish. Ryan Christopher, Fox 5 News.