The Capitol Theatre’s halcyon days played host to rock ‘n’ roll royalty — Janis Joplin, the Grateful Dead, Bonnie Raitt, Jefferson Airplane, The Chambers Brothers, Mountain, the Rolling Stones, Joe Cocker, Traffic, Eric Clapton, and more. Friday, December 17, Dayglo Presents and RWE Partners unite and give proper respect to these melodic masters in the iconic venue where they impacted the world forever. The Capitol Sessions: Songs from a Rock Palace That Impacted the World is headlined by two of the defining artists of the era: singer, songwriter, and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Jackson Browne and Jefferson Airplane and Hot Tuna guitarist and frontman Jorma Kaukonen. Joining them is a heavenly arrangement of musical ability, including Marco Benevento, James Casey (Trey Anastasio Band), Lisa Fischer (Luther Vandross, the Rolling Stones), Amy Helm (Levon Helm), Connor Kennedy (Steely Dan, Amy Helm), Eric Krasno (Soulive, Lettuce), Tony Leone (Levon Helm, Chris Robinson Brotherhood), Grahame Lesh (Phil Lesh & Friends), Adam Minkoff (Zappa Plays Zappa, The Machine), Karina Rykman, Teresa Williams, and The War & Treaty.
Curating the evening is legendary producer, arranger, songwriter, singer, and multi-instrumentalist Larry Campbell, alongside his musical partner and wife Teresa Williams. Universally respected by his peers and fans as a master of music, the three-time Grammy-winning producer/musical director for Levon Helm was a member of Bob Dylan’s Never Ending Tour band, as well as a session and touring musician for artists including Keith Richards, Jackson Browne, Phil Lesh, and Bob Weir, Cyndi Lauper, Paul Simon, and Emmylou Harris, and a recipient of the Americana Music Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award as Instrumentalist.
The show benefits HeadCount, a non-partisan voter registration advocacy organization that stages voter registration drives at more than 1,000 live events each year and collaborates with cultural leaders to promote civic engagement on a national scale. Since 2004, HeadCount has signed up over 1,000,000 voters through its work with Ariana Grande, Dead & Company, and Beyoncé and events like Lollapalooza, Bonnaroo, Pride Festivals, and RuPaul’s DragCon.
“The Capitol Theatre is one of rock ‘n’ roll’s last remaining rock palaces,” said Dayglo Presents founder Peter Shapiro, who is also on the board for HeadCount. “A place where many of rock’s most beloved legends performed — the Rolling Stones, the Grateful Dead, David Bowie, Janis Joplin, to name a few. We can’t wait to celebrate the iconic songs that have been played over the years at The Cap. It will be very cool for The Capitol Sessions to happen on the same stage where these songs were originally performed. It’s going to be an epic night!”
The Capitol Sessions is the latest in a lineup of standout events by RWE, the company founded by Greg Williamson and Nicole Rechter to bring people together around music, culture, and philanthropy. RWE has realized its vision through charity concerts such as Love Rocks NYC, the Play On CBS primetime TV special, and the annual Tipping Point concert for Tulane University and the city of New Orleans.
“In addition to honoring some of the most influential artists who played the Capitol during its heyday, we’re proud to highlight the importance of voting rights and democracy,” said Williamson. “We’d like to extend our thanks to Peter Shapiro, Larry Campbell, and all of the talented artists who agreed to be a part of this benefit concert.”
Launched with the mission of creating unique and meaningful cultural experiences, Dayglo Presents owns and operates a number of significant venues, events, and media outlets. These include the Brooklyn Bowl (Brooklyn, Las Vegas, Nashville, Philadelphia), The Capitol Theatre, Garcia’s, LOCKN’ music festival, Relix magazine, as well as Relix.com and Jambands.com, and cultural events including Fare Thee Well: Celebrating 50 Years of the Grateful Dead and the immersive and vivid Jazz & Colors concerts.
Tickets go on sale Friday, November 19 at 12 p.m. EST at thecapitoltheatre.com. Fans are encouraged to make a donation to benefit voter registration and HeadCount.
