In the March 2020 issue
of Chronogram, I wrote about entrepreneur Lizzie Vann’s acquisition and massive renovation of the Bearsville Theater complex. Since that time, the theater and
its surrounding facilities, which reopened just before Covid erupted, have been
through an epic saga of challenges, presenting live music and other events intermittently
while seeking a permanent and capable promoter to book the venue. Well, last
week came the formal announcement from the Woodstock-adjacent center that, at
last, it has one: New York music magnate Peter Shapiro, whose Dayglo Presents firm
has signed a multi-year lease to present shows at the theater.
Shapiro, who owns and
operates the Brooklyn Bowl franchise (locations in Brooklyn, Philadelphia, Las
Vegas, and Nashville) and the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, brings a wealth
of experience to the task. The former owner of the influential Tribeca nightclub
Wetlands Preserve and the publisher of Relix magazine, he also produced
the 2007 U2 concert film U2:3D and organized 2015’s “Fare Thee Well”
concert series featuring the remaining Grateful Dead members and friends. To
assist in the new operation, Shaprio has brought in some sage local blood: talent
buyer Mike Campbell, formerly of the Colony, and general manager Frank Bango, a
music industry veteran and accomplished singer-songwriter.
If the rundown of upcoming
shows is anything to go by—which, of course, it is—Dayglo’s overseeing of the concert
roster is a boon, indeed. The company’s bookings commence with Don Was and the
Pan-Detroit Ensemble (June 1) and continue with, among other highlights, Guster
(June 14-15), Iris Dement (June 26), the Mountain Goats (July 27), Guided By
Voices (August 10), Scott Metzger/ Joel Harrison/Nels Cline (August 16), the
Dirty Dozen Brass Band (August 22), the BoDeans (August 24), the Beths (September
6), and the Zombies (September 21). A full schedule, with new events being
added, is viewable at the Bearsville Theater website.
This article appears in April 2024.
