He’s created music festivals, opened celebrated concert venues, and staged shows that have brought together the “core four” surviving members of the Grateful Dead for a series of farewell shows – and conjured the magic of the Dead. But Peter Shapiro is never far from the spirit of the road. Whether it was touring for a month to shoot video for his college documentary, or rolling 13,254 miles following the band for a second documentary, Shapiro’s a fan of the road.
To hear him tell it, many of Shapiro’s experiences come from being on the road or being on tour. He turned money from his documentary work to rent a van and hit the road. They traveled the Lower 48 to create American Road, a seven-minute short film featuring imagery of the continental United States set to the song, “You Enjoy Myself” by Phish. It was one of two of his films screened at Sundance.
Continue reading “Peter Shapiro on Roadtripping and Music Festival Camping”
Even before Lockn’ music festival dropped its lineup last week, promoter Peter Shapiro had promised he’d be building upon some sick collaborations of year’s past – like Mad Dogs & Englishmen or last year’s Lettuce / Dead & Company / Eric Krasno late-night frenzy.Trust him when he says this. Shapiro isn’t just a smart festival producer who knows what fans want to see. He knows what he wants to see. Because he’s one of us.
There’s something about docking your RV or pitching your tent in 80 acres in rural Virginia that makes any camper giddy about communing with Mother Nature. To the music festival enthusiast, camping amid such beauty – with a 
Take 80 acres in rural Virginia an hour’s drive out of Roanoke. Drop in a line-up of the top musicians and acts from across the jam, blues, bluegrass, Zydeco, Appalacian, and Americana space. Create scenic views from the Blue Ridge Plateau that would make a National Geographic photographer’s shutter finger envious.