To compare rock impresario Peter Shapiro with the late Bill Graham would be appropriate， and he is doing for 21st century live music what Bill did for the 20th century。 But first and foremost， Pete is a zealous， obsessed music fan。 Especially a fan of live improvisational music。 His （first） autobiography， written with partner Dean Budnick， overflows with his enthusiasm for the music， the performers， and his work promoting them。 He clearly works from the viewpoint of the music fan， and all his de To compare rock impresario Peter Shapiro with the late Bill Graham would be appropriate， and he is doing for 21st century live music what Bill did for the 20th century。 But first and foremost， Pete is a zealous， obsessed music fan。 Especially a fan of live improvisational music。 His （first） autobiography， written with partner Dean Budnick， overflows with his enthusiasm for the music， the performers， and his work promoting them。 He clearly works from the viewpoint of the music fan， and all his decisions are based on the ethics of the jamband scene- kindness， inclusivity， and community。Peter tells his own story of attending Northwestern， where he met many of his current inner circle， and opening Wetlands， a club dedicated to the jamband scene in lower Manhattan。 From there， he describes orchestrating the surviving Grateful Dead members' final shows called Fare Thee Well， opening the Brooklyn Bowl franchise， the refurbished Capitol Theatre in Port Chester， the Lockn' Festival， and much much more。As he proceeds， he offers advice and reflections to aspiring promoters 。 His "nos turn to yeses'， knowing when to leave early versus being the last person standing in the room， deciding when to propose an idea to an artist or to their management， being able to astutely read a room and/or situation are all practical and solid ideas。 The book abounds with them。 He often references sports （"The promotor's job is to deliver the assist。 The artist scores"） ， his own personal asides （he is prone to allergic reactions， and if you are he advises you carry Benadryl）， and using music terminology to describe decisions （"I called an audible and went to this show"）。 Many of his reflections seem like life lessons as well as business lessons （"Whenever you start something， all the calls are outgoing。 But if you build it right， you get the incoming"）。 I found myself googling some of what， to me， were more of the obscure references （"they provided white label service for us on the back end"） and became more knowledgeable about the music business in the process。A delightful and informative read for music fans and industry insiders alike。 Many thanks to NetGalley for the eARC。 。。。more