The Return of a Classic: Music Reignites The Rows of The Capitol Theatre.

Since its opening on Christmas day of 1920, The Capitol Theatre has been a mainstay along 3rd street in Davenport’s downtown district, with it holding a place in The National Register of Historic Places since 1983, half a decade before my existence began.  While the theatre’s sign stood out from the roof of the 10-story Kahl building, and I even have old film negatives of this sign from my high school days, this advertisement was more a means of bringing on memories of a foregone past than it was about any current promotion. However, the time has finally come when new memories can be formed within the walls of this truly historic venue.

It has been more than a decade since the Capitol held an actual event that filled one of the Midwest’s oldest theatres with people and music alike, however, after months of intense, in-depth renovations by local artisans and a ribbon-cutting ceremony in mid-July, the first concert carried fans across The Capitol’s threshold the evening of September 13th, with California’s post-hardcore outfit Dayseeker bringing their fall tour to town.  Dayseeker have been building a sound and fanbase since their 2012 inception and their fall headlining tour carries them through September, just before they embark on a late fall jaunt in support of post-hardcore legends, Pierce The Veil.

Inside the Capitol Theater, for their first concert with Dayseeker!

Photographs provided by: Matthew Terry

The 13th began with a haze hanging in the air, an atmosphere that may bring about a more ominous feeling had the date fallen on a Friday instead of Wednesday. I tend to embrace the Autumn days, and there was a true feeling that summer had passed, however, the chill that was rushing through the crossroads downtown was nowhere to be found beneath the enveloping warmth of the marquee lights and the gold embellishments lining the walls and pillars of this classic theater. The hand-painted/restored trim that fills the 1,500 seat theatre brings you back to another time, while providing the vibrancy we crave in the modern world. The balance between the past and present is impossible to ignore, and a major piece of what makes The Capitol a classic that needed to experience a rebirth.

The crowd spilled from their seats, arms held high as Dayseeker took to a stage that once hosted Buddy Holly, The Big Bopper, and Ritchie Valens less than a week before that February night in Northern Iowa when “The Music Died.” I’d be willing to bet most in attendance had little interest in Holly, and those attending that historic show in 1959 could never have envisioned what would one day occupy the same space as their slicked back hair and poodle skirts. What once was host to Peggy Sue was now the purveyor of a circle pit.

Inside look at Dayseeker, Silent Planet, & Moxy The Band presented By First Fleet Concerts at the Capitol Theater in Downtown Davenport, IA

Photographs provided by: Matthew Terry

While the songs weren’t always in my musical lane, the sound was dead on, and the crowd was giving the bands back every ounce of energy they were projecting from the stage. As I sat in the second level/balcony seats, not open to general admission for this event, I attempted to imagine the generations that passed through these very rows, parents to the parents of the people I call friends taking in sold-out shows seemingly lost to time, yet still undeniably present within the worn seats mostly empty while the pulsing mass pushed forward, filling the floorspace between seats and stage.  As I left, taking in the marquee one last time before driving East down 2nd, there was a level of local pride and appreciation felt towards those who saw this space and recognized the significance of bringing life back to this corner of the city.

The 13th began with a haze hanging in the air, an atmosphere that may bring about a more ominous feeling had the date fallen on a Friday instead of Wednesday. I tend to embrace the Autumn days, and there was a true feeling that summer had passed, however, the chill that was rushing through the crossroads downtown was nowhere to be found beneath the enveloping warmth of the marquee lights and the gold embellishments lining the walls and pillars of this classic theater. The hand-painted/restored trim that fills the 1,500 seat theatre brings you back to another time, while providing the vibrancy we crave in the modern world. The balance between the past and present is impossible to ignore, and a major piece of what makes The Capitol a classic that needed to experience a rebirth.

The crowd spilled from their seats, arms held high as Dayseeker took to a stage that once hosted Buddy Holly, The Big Bopper, and Ritchie Valens less than a week before that February night in Northern Iowa when “The Music Died.” I’d be willing to bet most in attendance had little interest in Holly, and those attending that historic show in 1959 could never have envisioned what would one day occupy the same space as their slicked back hair and poodle skirts. What once was host to Peggy Sue was now the purveyor of a circle pit.