Legendary Port Chester: David Bowie at the Capitol, Oct. 14, 1997

David Bowie wasn't the first choice to play The Capitol the night of Oct. 14, 1997.

Back during "the wondrous golden age when MTV actually played music videos," as one blogger put it, the former music channel launched its "10 Spot" live concert series as an answer to the popular "Unplugged."

The network approached the Rolling Stones to inaugurate the series, and the British rockers settled on The Capitol as their venue choice. Accustomed to playing sold-out shows in stadiums, the legends were familiar with the history of Port Chester's concert hall and wanted to utilize the acoustics -- and exclusive atmosphere -- of the Capitol as they played to fans lucky enough to get tickets through MTV.

Port Chester police closed Westchester Avenue and braced for the possibility of thousands of fans, most of them "people without connections and no tickets," according to a New York Times story that week.

But as fate would have it, Mick Jagger came down with the flu, and MTV turned to Bowie, hoping the glam rocker's star power would draw viewers to the new show the way the Stones could have.

With those circumstances, Bowie's 1997 show is one of the most well-documented performances in the Capitol's history -- along with considerable press, there's an official reissue DVD of the concert, soundboard bootlets, and videos of individual songs on Youtube and Google video.

In one video, the camera lingers on the "10 Spot" logo for a few seconds before floating over the crowd, capturing a triumphant "Let's go!" from Bowie before his band launches into "Scary Monsters." The song starts off with wah-heavy shredding from Bowie's guitarist, amplifier tubes screaming.

On "The Jean Genie" Bowie clutches an acoustic guitar, strumming out a basic blues progression. The band is content to amble along on that hushed vibe until about the one-minute mark, with Bowie striking a pose and ushering in a heavy snare and a wall of feedback.

For one night, the revelry and music inside the Capitol's walls was broadcast to million of homes around the world, putting the spotlight on Bowie and Port Chester. Thirteen years later, the broadcast represents the highest production values for any recording or video from the Capitol, before or since.

Even MTV's bigwigs learned something new, 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.''

For more information about the live DVD of David Bowie's 1997 performance in Port Chester, click here. For more information about Bowie's Earthling Tour -- of which the Port Chester gig was a part -- click here. For videos of Bowie performing Quicksand and Hallo Spaceboy at the Capitol, click here and here.

And a hat tip to Phish fans, who shared their memories with us last week when Port Chester Patch profiled an early-90s Phish appearance at the hallowed venue.

Legendary Port Chester runs every Tuesday and profiles historic performances in the village's history. Got an old recording from a seminal concert at The Capitol or the old 7 Willow Street? Tell us about it, and don't forget to share your favorite memories of the show. Were you at a concert we've already profiled? Write in and tell us about your experience in Port Chester's sonic history.