Peter Shapiro, the beloved concert promoter behind such events as The Grateful Dead’s 2015 Fare Thee Well reunion and storied venues as Wetlands, Brooklyn Bowl and the Capitol Theatre, will share his behind-the-scenes stories in his first book this summer.
Shapiro’s The Music Never Stops: What Putting on 10,000 Shows Has Taught Me About Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Magic, arrives August 2 via Hachette and was co-written with longtime collaborator Dean Budnick. It is structured as he reminiscences about 50 of the most important concerts in his career, including shows with U2, Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, and more.
Says Questlove of Shapiro, “I’ve given Peter 11th-hour surprises, like, ‘How about a practice Usher show?’ or ‘Can we organize a quickie Elvis Costello performance?’Anyone else would have riddled me with bullets for taking such a grand idea and tossing it to him with seconds left to spare. But, with him it’s always, ‘Oh man, I can’t wait to get to it.’ And it’s always magic.”
“Peter thinks like a musician,” adds Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh, who has staged numerous residencies at Shapiro’s Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, N.Y. “He understands the spirit of the music I’m trying to make because he wants to create situations for that music that enhance the experience on many levels.”
According to Hachette, The Music Never Stops will also delve into “the ins and outs of bringing a concert from concept to reality” and “how a fan can make a career in music without ever picking up an instrument.”
Shapiro’s work at downtown New York venue Wetlands was previously chronicled in the 2008 documentary Wetlands Preserved: The Story of an Activist Rock Club, which was produced and directed by Budnick. Shapiro also produced the 2009 concert movie U2 3D, the first live-action digital film shot in 3D.
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