Peter Shapiro is mid-sentence when he stops, walks over to a lamp, and unscrews the lightbulb. “Too bright,” he mutters before returning to our conversation near the lounge of the Bearsville Theater. It’s a fleeting moment, but it says everything about Shapiro, the veteran concert promoter whose fingerprints can be found on some of the most beloved music venues in America. “All the details matter if you want to be really good,” he says. “Like the security, the box office, I’d like there to be a shorter line for drinks. The sound level, the lights, the ambience, the couch, you know, it’s everything.”
Shapiro’s latest venture brings him to Woodstock, where he has taken the reins of the historic Bearsville Theater. Through Shapiro’s entertainment and media company Dayglo Presents, he has signed a long-term lease to manage and program the 500-capacity venue, adding it to a portfolio that includes Brooklyn Bowl in New York, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, and Nashville, and the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, NY. His goal is to turn Bearsville into a must-stop destination for musicians traveling the Northeast circuit while preserving the theater’s deep musical legacy.
“Look at what’s going on in the world,” Shapiro says. “People need live music more than ever. Without it, we’re f***ed.”
Bearsville Theater’s roots run deep. Built in 1989 by Albert Grossman—former manager to Bob Dylan, The Band, and Janis Joplin—the venue was conceived as a performance space to complement the close by legendary Bearsville Studios, built in 1969, where artists including The Rolling Stones, REM, The Pretenders, Patti Smith, Meat Loaf, and Phish recorded. In recent years, the theater struggled to find its footing. That changed when Shapiro took over in 2024.
“It’s such a cultural home,” Shapiro tells The Overlook. “The history here is real, and there wasn’t quite sufficient live music to match the role this area has played in America’s musical story.”
Lori Majewski, a SiriusXM host who relocated to the area during the pandemic, describes the venue’s charm as palpable. “Seeing a show here is like going back in time—it’s immersive. Almost nobody in the audience takes out a phone to take pictures or record video.”
Shapiro approached Bearsville much like he did with the Capitol Theatre—maintaining its historic bones while layering in modern enhancements. His first priority was the sound. The venue now boasts a top-tier Meyer Sound system, and thanks to a collaboration with Utopia Studios, one of the recording rooms that was run by Bearsville Studios, an underground tunnel connects the theater to a state-of-the-art recording setup, a rarity in live music. This means that bands playing Bearsville can have their performances captured with studio-quality precision.
“Part of the dream when Albert built the place, from what I’m told, is that Utopia would be connected to Bearsville Theater,” says Pete Caigan, the sound engineer and producer managing Utopia Studios. “So that the entire campus could be a broadcast center. There was a tunnel built between the two buildings, but the project was never completed. When I moved in, my intention was to connect the two as it was designed for. So we ran analog and digital connections between the two buildings, from the stage of the theater to the control room in Utopia.”
The setup is a vision realized and has already recorded performances by Jeff Tweedy, Sam Grisman, and Medeski, Russo, and Cline, with guest appearances from Marco Benevento and Mike Gordon of Phish.
“No other venue in the U.S. has this setup,” says Jesse Lauter, head of production and media at Dayglo Presents. “The recordings coming out of Bearsville are going to be next level.”
Shapiro has also assembled an experienced team to handle the day-to-day, including general manager Frank Bango, who previously ran the Bowery Ballroom in New York City, and talent booker Mike Campbell, formerly of The Colony in Woodstock. With their guidance, the calendar has quickly filled with an impressive mix of acts. Elvis Costello is playing two dates in March. According to Lauter, Norah Jones enjoyed playing Bearsville in December so much that she’s eager to return.
“I would guess musicians love playing Woodstock because it’s a music town,” says Majewski. “Yes, it has the 1969 Woodstock festival legacy, and The Band and Bob Dylan made their marks on the town, but I find that locals of all ages here enjoy supporting acts spanning the musical spectrum.”
Shapiro’s long-term vision is to establish Bearsville as the preeminent venue of the Hudson Valley-Catskills corridor, distinguishing itself through its intimate setting, unparalleled recording capabilities, and deep historical significance. “When we revived the Capitol Theatre, it became a regional venue—not just for Port Chester but for the whole area,” he says. “That’s what we’re building for Bearsville.”
If Shapiro’s track record is any indication, he’ll pull it off. Over the years, he has earned a reputation for blending historic preservation with bold innovation, from his time managing Wetlands Preserve, a popular jam-band New York City nightclub in the ’90s, to producing major festivals like Lockn’ in Arrington, VA. He also made history in 2015 by organizing the Grateful Dead’s 50th anniversary Fare Thee Well shows, which brought the surviving members of the band together for an emotional and record-breaking series of concerts.
“He cares almost to a fault,” says Lauter. “Pete puts himself on the line for the sake of music, for artists, and for people gathering together.”
Dean Budnick, editor-in-chief of Relix, a music magazine Shapiro publishes, echoes that sentiment. “Peter is a wonderful steward. He’s taken over Wetlands, the Capitol Theater, and Relix. In all these instances, he recognized what was special and important about those entities. He perpetuated that essence while also contributing new ideas and elements. I am confident he’ll do the same with Bearsville. The venue is in doting, dynamic hands.”
Frank Bango, Bearsville’s general manager, emphasizes how Shapiro has equipped the team with the right tools to succeed. “One of the first things he did was invest in making the tools for the artist as good as possible,” Bango says. “He brought in the best PA system and worked with the landlord, Lizzie Vann, to ensure the building itself was in great shape. Our job is to make sure the artists feel comfortable so they can put on the best show possible.” (Lizzie Vann is an in-kind supporter of The Overlook.)
Shapiro’s journey to this moment is chronicled in his book “The Music Never Stops: What Putting on 10,000 Shows Has Taught Me About Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Magic,” where he details his early passion for live music and his relentless drive to create spaces where it thrives. “I’m prepared to call a bunch of the friends,” he says. “You got to do that with a new venue. It’s calling favors. But then you have to execute so that people want to come back. The bands and the fans? They won’t come back unless it’s good.”
Noah Eckstein is the editor-in-chief of The Overlook. Send correspondence to noah@theoverlooknews.com