20 Years Ago Today: You'll Love This Incredible Story of The Rolling Stones at The Cap
Today in 1997, The Rolling Stones invaded The Capitol Theatre for a performance on MTV's "Live From The 10 Spot." They were originally scheduled for October 14, 1997. Here's the amazing story behind this show!
David Bowie wasn't the first choice to play The Capitol Theatre the night of October 14, 1997. MTV had originally approached The Rolling Stones to inaugurate the series, and the British icons decided on The Cap as their venue choice. Apparently the legends were familiar with Port Chester and The Cap's history and wanted to take advantage of the acoustics and the atmosphere. The only fans in attendance were lucky enough to receive their tickets through MTV.
According to the New York Times report:
Alex Colletti, producer of ''Live From the 10 Spot,'' was outside the theater before the show in one of the many sound trucks that MTV had on location. ''The Stones picked this place,'' he said about the Capitol Theater, which was built in 1929 by Thomas W. Lamb, the architect who also built the original Madison Square Garden. ''They're known to do some small places as they tour the big stadiums. They were comfortable with it so we said, 'Fine.' David was more than happy to play here. As it turns out, his keyboard player used to play here. There's a lot of history in this hall. Janis Joplin, Joe Cocker, Jimi Hendrix, Frank Zappa, the Doors and the Grateful Dead played here. We're learning about the Capitol's history, and now we're getting to be a part of it, which is cool.''
In a twist of events, Mick Jagger fell ill with laryngitis, and forced the band to cancel the show. MTV turned to Bowie, who saved the day and played a rocking set at The Cap. A week later, The Stones came back to The Cap to dominate the stage. This is among our favorite stories of The Cap's history!