Capitol Theatre

Lifehouse will not be rescheduling their July 1 tour date at the Capitol Theatre.  Please return your tickets to the point-of-purchase to receive a refund.  If you purchased your tickets on-line through the Capitol website or through E-Tix, call 800-514-ETIX to receive your refund.

The Capitol Theatre and Jay Goldberg Events & Entertainment apologize for your inconvenience.

The Capitol Theatre will be the site of the inaugural Quad Cities' 10,000 Hours event in April 2009. The 10,000 Hours Show encourages high school and college students to volunteer, helps to address community needs, and works to engage the next generation of community leaders.

This highly successful program is a student-led outreach effort to recruit and recognize young volunteers who then serve local nonprofits. It will culminate in a free concert at the Capitol Theatre exclusively for volunteers that have performed a minimum of 10 hours of community service. Check with the Quad Cities United Way for more details

July 1 - Lifehouse - tickets on sale now
July 19 - Ani DiFranco - tickets on sale now
Aug 1 - Jim the Mule CD Release - tickets on sale July 1

By David Burke | Quad City Times | Friday, January 25, 2008

I was giving a tour of Quad-City entertainment spots to an out-of-town visitor a few weeks ago, and she pointed at the Capitol Theatre as we drove by.

“There hasn’t been much done there lately,” I said. “I wish someone would take some action.”

Wish granted.

The recent announcement that the Capitol will undergo major renovations and bring in some name acts — Umphrey’s McGee kicks it off Feb. 28 — and complement that with performances by local ballet and opera companies is fantastic and extremely welcome news.

The MySpace.com friends page for “The Cap,” the nickname organizers already have given to the downtown Davenport theater, likely shows the type of acts they have in mind: Wilco, Ryan Adams, Fountains of Wayne, Modest Mouse, My Morning Jacket.

While some renovations will be made to the lobby and the restrooms, the most work will need to be done backstage. I performed there last summer and saw the dilapidated condition that area is in: dusty antique equipment, potentially dangerous holes in the stage floor, miniscule dressing rooms and a wobbly freight elevator.

The house itself is in good condition. The seats are wide enough and have decent leg room for those of us who are more fully proportioned. Aside from for the women’s downstairs restroom, the lobby area is in decent shape.

But the good news is that improvements can be made, and they can’t come soon enough.

The Capitol — which will be getting even more attention in the next year because of the 50th anniversary of Buddy Holly and the ill-fated Winter Dance Party tour stop there — can give us another viable alternative for acts that are not quite enough of a draw for the RiverCenter/Adler Theatre.

More importantly, it could be the boost that will draw more people to downtown Davenport at night.

Picture it: Both “The Cap” and the Adler have a show on a Friday or Saturday night. Throughout the blocks between the two venues on 3rd Street, people are milling around, getting dinner or drinks before or after the shows.

It’s a great thought, and one that surely warms the hearts of downtown boosters.

In the news..WQAD did a story that covers some of the history of the Capitol Theatre, including this interesting excerpt:

The memories held between these walls are too many to count. One of the many acts that walked on this stage was Buddy Holly, the Big Bopper and Richie Valens before their plane went down.

"Their last performance prior to that was actually here at the Capitol Theater in Davenport," said Horst.

Click here to read the full story and check out the video clip.

The Capital Theatre is pleased to announce that it will reopen under new management in February of 2008. This magnificent community treasure will host a schedule of national touring performances, along with fine arts performances by Ballet Quad Cities and Opera Quad Cities.

New concessions and bar service, larger bathrooms will allow us to serve up to 1550 people. Lighting and stage improvements will add a new luster to performances.

The Capitol is perfect for corporate meetings, video presentations and movies, speakers and seminars, pageants, opera, ballet, school graduations, small theatrical presentations and touring music groups. Please contact us at 563.326.8820 if you or your company would like to rent the Capitol for your next event.

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