Verso Visionary: Renowned Music Entrepreneur Peter Shapiro, in Conversation with Relix Editor Dean Budnick

Event Details

Peter Shapiro, who has owned and operated venerated concert venues like Brooklyn Bowl and The Capitol Theatre and has produced a wide array of lauded music festivals, will join VersoFest 2026 alongside rock author, writer, and documentarian Dean Budnick.

Together, the two music industry veterans will be discussing the legacy of the Grateful Dead and the development of the jam band scene over the decades.

Why You Should Come

Jam bands are among the most successful in the modern music industry, with a dedicated and intensely loyal fan base. And few have greater insight into the legacy of jam bands than Shapiro and Budnick.

Shapiro produced Fare Thee Well: Celebrating 50 Years of the Grateful Dead and founded Lockn’, a four-day Virginia-based festival that has featured jam band legends like Bob Weir, Phil Lesh, Widespread Panic, and Tedeschi Trucks Band. Budnick, meantime, is the author of seven books, many on the music industry, and has written for Billboard, Variety, and The Hollywood Reporter.

Together, they are the publisher and editor-in-chief of Relix, a print and online publication that focuses on the live music scene.

About Peter Shapiro

Independent music entrepreneur Peter Shapiro continues to explore a range of passion projects. He has owned and operated celebrated venues Brooklyn Bowl (NYC, Las Vegas, Nashville, Philadelphia), The Capitol Theatre, Bearsville Theater, and Wetlands Preserve. Shapiro has also partnered with the family of Jerry Garcia on Garcia’s music clubs, which are currently open in Chicago and Port Chester, N.Y. In 2015, he produced Fare Thee Well: Celebrating 50 Years of the Grateful Dead, at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, and Chicago’s Soldier Field. Shapiro founded Lockn’, a four-day music and camping festival held in Nelson County, Virginia, as well as Jazz & Colors, an experiential music event held in Central Park and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

In addition, Shapiro originated the Rock and Roll Playhouse, developing the family concert series into a weekly national concert series that takes place in more than 25 markets across the U.S. In 2024, he produced the Soulshine Benefit at Madison Square Garden, raising money for hurricane relief in the Southeast. His other endeavors include the IMAX concert films U2 3D and All Access, the Jammys awards show, the Green Apple Earth Day Festival, and Easy Rider Live. Billboard has selected him multiple times for its Power 100 List of Most Influential People in the Music Business.

Shapiro serves as publisher of Relix magazine and sits on the board of a number of civic and charitable organizations, including New York Public Radio, City Parks Foundation, and The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s nominating committee.

About Dean Budnick

Dean Budnick has written seven books, including Ticket Masters: The Rise of the Concert Industry and How the Public Got Scalped. He is the co-author of Blues Traveler frontman John Popper’s memoir, Suck & Blow: And Other Stories I’m Not Supposed to Tell. Budnick is the editor-in-chief of Relix and has reported on the live entertainment industry for Billboard, Variety, and The Hollywood Reporter.

Budnick directed the documentary Wetlands Preserved: The Story of An Activist Rock Club, which opened nationally before airing on the Sundance Channel. He also is the creator and host of the Long May They Run podcast, which reached #1 on the Apple Music Podcast charts.

About VersoFest

VersoFest is The Westport Library’s annual music and media conference and festival where knowledge is shared and inspiration is discovered — a forum for media creators, artists, and fans to converge. VersoFest includes conversations where experts share their perspective and vision. Intimate workshops provide creators the opportunity to deconstruct, improve, and hone their craft. Performances entertain and inspire.

This year’s festival, our fifth, is shaping up to be the best yet, headlined by a February 27 kickoff concert by rising rock band The Thing, our March 26 Verso Visionary conversation with folk-rock legend Ani DiFranco, and a special March 27 Friday night performance featuring Grammy Award-winning artist, producer, composer and Fugees co-founder Wyclef Jean. Our weekend guests include actress, author, and performer Gina Gershon; David J (Bauhaus, Love and Rockets); Adria Petty on the legacy of her dad, Tom Petty, and the legendary Heartbreakers; a VersoFest author talk with Claire Dederer on her book, Monster; a conversation with renowned music promoter Peter Shapiro (Capitol Theare, Brooklyn Bowl); an appearance by the African dance and music troupe Cumbe Dance; an interactive art installation exhibited by award-winning, video-based artist Holly Danger; and a screening of the film Baristas vs. Billionaires, directed by Academy Award nominee Mark Mori.

Past VersoFest guests include hip hop legend Chuck D; established hit-makers the Wallflowers, Spin Doctors, and the Smithereens; up-and-coming bands Sunflower Bean and the Lemon Twigs; the Roots lead emcee Black Thought; hardcore punk pioneer Henry Rollins; rockers Lez Zeppelin; famed producers Steve Lillywhite (U2, Dave Matthews Band) and Tony Visconti (David Bowie, T. Rex); Psychedelic Furs frontman Richard Butler; the Doors drummer John Densmore; Cramps drummer Miriam Linna; Alice Cooper Group bassist Dennis Dunaway; hip-hop originators Tony Crush and Grand Wizzard Theodore; David Letterman music director Paul Shaffer; SNL Beehive Queen Christine Ohlman; and a wide array of authors, photographers, artists, and thought leaders.

Visit our VersoFest website to see the lineup and schedule for 2026 (with announcements on all guests coming throughout January and into February).