Arts & Entertainment

After Sold Out Nine Night Run, Furthur Closes at The Cap Tonight

The last show of the run will be over by midnight tonight and the fans who became temporary residents of Port Chester will disperse throughout the country.

Port Chester residents have had a lot to say about the influx of "hippies" in their village over the last two weeks. Whether you were one who objected to the Furthur fans who camped outside the theater or welcomed the new flavor to town, after the band closes their run tonight, they will all be further away. 

"How do you know if a hippie has been in your house?" asked Smoke, a middle-aged Philadelphia man whose cigarette poked out from a thick beard that blended in with a head full of heavy dreads.  

"He's still there," Smoke said laughing. He was exchanging jokes with a New York City woman he met at a Furthur show three years ago in the smoking area outside of the Capitol Theatre at the April 23 show. 

Find out what's happening in Port Chesterwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Despite what the joke implies, Furthur fans who have become temporary residents in this village will not be staying here much longer. Smokes, a Philadelphia resident, will be following Furthur to Atlantic City where they will play on Saturday. Other fans will be returning home after the run.  

Not all fans will be leaving the area though. Many local music lovers visited the Cap at least once over the last two weeks to get a dose of Dead culture. 

Find out what's happening in Port Chesterwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Rye resident Rob Rogers bought tickets to four of the shows but by happenstance ended up going every night. His friends had extra tickets and he ended up going to shows he had not planned to see. "And that is not me, I don't do that stuff," he said. Rogers, 53, has seen Furthur, or some form of the Dead's bands, a handful of times and considers himself spoiled now that he can see that kind of music so close to home at The Cap. 

He said going to the theater has become a family event that his sister, neices, nephews and kids all enjoy. He is proud of his son Marshall who works at the Capitol handing out fliers in exchange for tickets.

"Furthur, Grateful Dead, 60s culture is pretty unique and it's still living on and has been passed on from generation to generation it seems," Rogers said.

"It's a good feeling, a good thing for people to see and to experience because it is an experience. It is more than just the music, it’s a culture. I probably, more than the music, enjoy the people, the clothes they wear and sometimes what they smell like," he said with a laugh. Rogers added that he made two new friends at the shows this week. He also went to the CaptotheCopa show featuring the Stella Blues Band on Friday night and described it as an extension of the evening and a "real pleasure." 

"Everybody is just so happy here," his son Marshall said while he handed out Max Creek fliers to crowds leaving the show on Tuesday night. "I love it." 

The crowds will leave town Friday, but not for good. Dark Star Orchestra, a Grateful Dead cover band, is playing The Cap on Thursday, May 9. 

View some photos from the recent shows in the photo gallery above. 

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