Peter Shapiro, the Bearsville Theater and (Re)-Opening Night: There WAS Plenty Shakin' on Shakedown Street

Don Was performs at the Bearsville Theater in Woodstock, New York, on Saturday, June 1. Don was in town with his Pan-Detroit Ensemble. Photo by John W. Barry.

Never underestimate the power of a horn section.

That’s one of the many things I’ve been coming to terms with since I walked out of the Bearsville Theater in Woodstock, New York, late Saturday night. 

A lot of adjectives come to mind when trying to describe just exactly how Don Was & The Pan-Detroit Ensemble blew a hole through the hamlet of Bearsville. But the one word I keep coming back to, as I struggle to capture the evening in words, is “physical.” And let me also say that if I didn’t fully surrender to the Pan-Detroit Ensemble’s horn section, I never would have made it out of Woodstock alive. 

I don’t know that I’ve ever had as physical an experience listening to live music as I did Saturday night. Sure, I’ve been at plenty of shows where I’ve felt the ground move beneath me. Those experiences were seismic, hitting me from the outside in, and they were awesome, each and every one of them. 

But that band at that theater struck a different kind of nerve with me—one I am still trying to figure out. All I know is that one particular solo by trombone player Vincent Chandler left me trembling—from the inside out. Chandler was relentless. It was overwhelming. And I prayed he would not stop. 

At another point in the show, Don and the Ensemble delivered what this Deadhead since 1987 would call a rendition of the Robert Hunter-Jerry Garcia song “Loser” that captured much of the despair and delusion that makes this song so painfully honest and real—the kind of honest and real with jagged edges, that hurt. 

Once again, the horn section worked me hard from the inside out, leaving my head-heart-mind gyroscope revolving as it rotated. Dave McMurray’s saxophone solo left me on the verge of sobbing. You know how sometimes a good cry is the only thing that will sort you out in a proper way? Well, that’s the cry I almost had at the Bearsville Saturday night. Sometimes trying to be a tough guy really isn’t the way to go, and I really blew it Saturday night. I should have cried like a baby and let it all unravel. Next time, Bearsville, next time. 

In the category of “Be careful what you wish for…,” Don Was & The Pan-Detroit Ensemble gave me exactly what I went to the Bearsville in search of Saturday night. I got hours of live music that left me feeling like my heart was going to burst and shatter my rib cage in the process. Man, oh man, did that feel good. 

The Bearsville Theater was reborn Saturday night, the venue’s opening night under the stewardship of music impresario and now-Bearsville Theater proprietor Peter Shapiro. I was also reborn Saturday night. I found rebirth and redemption thanks to that horn section, that band and that theater where I have seen many, many, many shows over decades. 

How wonderful that the Bearsville’s historic past—it was the brainchild of another music impresario, Albert Grossman—and its sleek, cutting-edge, Catskill Mountains-wallop-of-a-triumph now defining its present and future, came together like sky and sea on the horizon.

Were we really expecting anything else from Shapiro? After seeing shows at his old Wetlands Preserve nightclub, his current Brooklyn Bowl in Williamsburg and his Capitol Theatre in Westchester County, I was ready for it all. And he delivered. 

Some more on the music—Don Was led the band without leading the band in any kind of grandiose way, which is exactly what I look for in a good leader. And trumpeter John Douglas; keyboardist Luis Resto; drummer Jeff Canaday; percussionist Mahindi Masai; guitarist Wayne Gerard; and vocalist Steffanie Christi’ann were dazzling, marvelous and then more dazzling. 

Don Was performs at the Bearsville Theater in Woodstock, New York, on Saturday, June 1. Don was in town with his Pan-Detroit Ensemble. Photo by John W. Barry.

It’s also worth mentioning that Don turned the Bearsville Theater into something of a Greenwich Village coffeehouse, circa 1960s, during his performance of the Was Not Was song, “I Feel Better than James Brown.” Over a determined beat stitched with tone and texture, Was delivered a far out and groovy spoken word performance that I was sure would be greeted at the end by the audience raising their hands and snapping their fingers. You know, just like they did back in the day. Dig it?

And how about that “Shakedown Street,” another Hunter-Garcia, Grateful Dead song, but rewired by Was and Co. thanks to the heavy punctuation of that horn section. Did I mention how great the horn section was? “Shakedown Street” came towards the end of the evening and gave the capacity crowd yet another reason to throw their arms up in abandon, celebrating the triumph of humanity as witnessed by all inside the latest, greatest incarnation of the Bearsville Theater. 

“Nothin’ shakin’ on Shakedown Street/Used to be the heart of town,” Steffanie sang. But as much as she and I were on the same page throughout the entire evening, I beg to differ. At the Bearsville Theater, in Woodstock, New York, on Saturday night, there was PLENTY shaking on Shakedown Street. 

OK. We’ve covered the music. Now for the venue. 

The Bearsville Theater complex is owned by Woodstock resident Lizzie Vann, who purchased the famous property—Todd Rundgren once housed his Utopia Studios on site—in 2019. Bearsville Center, as it is now called, is tied to Grossman’s legacy at the old Bearsville Studios, which occupied a parcel elsewhere in town as it hosted the Rolling Stones for rehearsals and everyone from Phish to the Dave Matthews Band to The Pretenders, to name just a few, for recording sessions. 

Bearsville Center is now home to fine dining, a cozy tavern, a state-of-the-art recording studio, Utopia Studios Bearsville, and, of course, the theater. But Lizzie found much to fix when she signed on the dotted line, and ended up pouring millions of dollars into the property for too many repairs to list here. Her vision reimagined a national destination for music and her eye for detail put oh, such a luster on it all. 

But Lizzie’s vision for the property did not stop with the physical grounds and inspiring vibe. 

She recently partnered with Shapiro on a collaboration that is giving the theater momentum and allowing it to reach its full potential as an entertainment venue and ever-expanding cog in Woodstock’s community wheel. 

Shapiro now runs the theater. Lizzie continues to own the complex and from everything I’ve seen, and I’m sure Humphrey Bogart would agree if he were still with us, it’s the beginning of a beautiful friendship. 

So—what was it like for someone like me, who’s been seeing shows at the Bearsville Theater for decades, to be on hand for the unveiling of yet another chapter? 

Well, the reason why my musical experience was so physical, from the inside out, and so affirming, was in large part because Shapiro and his Dayglo Presents team installed a new Meyer sound system in the theater. It was eye-opening to see many new speakers rigged inside the theater. Visually, they added form to the room. Sonically, all I can say is that it worked, and it worked big time. I’m not an audio engineer, but the sound to my ears was balanced, distributed in proper fashion, tailored to the room and tailored to my ears. Thank you, Meyer sound system, for a sonic blast around the sun I won’t soon forget. 

So there you have it as far as the music and the venue on Peter Shapiro’s opening night as steward of one of the most legendary legacies in modern music. I know there were many people in attendance who wish him and Lizzie good luck on the road that lies ahead. 

But let’s also have a round of applause for the spirit of community that filled the Bearsville Theater Saturday night. 

Shapiro knows plenty about harnessing the power of live music as a catalyst for bringing people together, empowering community and implementing change in people’s day-to-day lives, real people, like you and me, facing real ups-and-downs. And this change takes hold and resonates long after the curtain drops. 

Pete Shapiro gives a damn. He gives a damn about his venues; the communities where they operate; the people who perform there; and the people who shell out hard-earned cash for a few, unburdened hours of entertainment. He also gives a damn about making the world a better place, one concert, one venue and one song at a time. 

All of this crystallized Saturday night at the Bearsville Theater in Woodstock, New York. I was there. I saw it. I felt it. And I brought it home with me. 

In closing, I’d just like to say that I was very glad to have a few minutes of one-on-one time with Don Was after Saturday night’s show. And he had plenty to say. And let’s just take a moment to mention that Don worked on albums when recording sessions were in full swing at Bearsville Studios. He also plays bass with Bobby Weir in the former Grateful Dead guitarist’s Wolf Bros band. And he is the president of Blue Note Records. And oh yeah, he freakin’ rocked the Bearsville Theater Saturday night. 

Don Was speaking of the Bearsville Center grounds: 

“You pull onto the lot here and it’s peaceful and you feel good. I felt good from the minute I stepped off the bus. Everything smells like wood. It felt like going to summer camp. I just love being here.”

And as for the theater:

“The theater looks incredible,” he said. “There were two things that stood out. There is an incredible intimacy between the people on the stage and the people in the audience. You can really see them and feel them and they’re right up close and you can exchange energy, which is a big deal. The sound system is incredible. Normally, you play a theater, you get the sound bouncing back and it’s just not in tune with what you’re doing and it’s not harmonic, it’s dissonant. You’re fighting the room a lot of the time. This theater was such a pleasure. Everything that came back to the stage sounded great and really enhanced. It was like putting on really good headphones. Everything felt and sounded good. I actually can’t think of a comparable room. It’s great. It’s a fantastic room. I wish I could play here for the next month.” 

Speaking of Shapiro:

“He’s got incredibly positive energy, incredibly good taste and he’s fearless. If he wants something to happen, he makes it happen. He makes seemingly impossible things possible. I’ve got tremendous admiration for someone like that. There are a lot of people who are visionaries, but you’ve got to be able to fulfill the vision, to realize the vision. The people who can dream up great things and then make them happen, they’re few and far between. He’s an exceptional character, Pete.”

And one final note! One could say that Shapiro’s opening night on Saturday will turn out to be the social event of the year. But that sounds so…..stuffy. While there were plenty of luminaries in the crowd, I like to think that they are simply folks who have achieved great success in the music industry, and love to call Woodstock, Ulster County and the Hudson Valley home. 

In attendance Saturday night were:

Larry Campbell: A former member of Bob Dylan’s band who served as music director for the Levon Helm Band and produced or co-produced each of Levon’s Grammy-winning albums. Larry played a pivotal role in the success of Levon’s Midnight Ramble house concerts, which established a new paradigm for the music industry. Larry and his wife and musical partner, Teresa Williams, are currently touring in support of their latest album, All This Time. 

Jim Weider: Lead guitarist in the second incarnation of The Band; guitarist in the Levon Helm Band; and lead guitarist in The Weight Band. 

Cindy Cashdollar: Steel guitar and Dobro player whose resume includes some notable gigs, with Asleep At The Wheel, and collaborations with Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard and Dolly Parton. Cindy also played on Bob Dylan’s Grammy-winning album, “Time Out of Mind.” 

Gail Ann Dorsey: Longtime bass player for David Bowie who has also performed with Gwen Stefani and Lenny Kravitz. 

Zachary Alford: Drummer whose resume includes such notable names as David Bowie, Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel and the B-52s. 

Rhett Miller: Solo guitarist-vocalist and member of the Old 97’s.