Lupo’s to celebrate 40th anniversary with five nights of music

Herb Weiss
Posted 10/1/15

Rich Lupo acknowledges that time flies by fast. In fact, his namesake music venue, Lupo’s Heartbreak Hotel, celebrates its 40th anniversary next month.

We sit at the Cup & Saucer, a retro ’50s …

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Lupo’s to celebrate 40th anniversary with five nights of music

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Rich Lupo acknowledges that time flies by fast. In fact, his namesake music venue, Lupo’s Heartbreak Hotel, celebrates its 40th anniversary next month.

We sit at the Cup & Saucer, a retro ’50s decorated diner on Pawtucket’s historic Main Street, reminiscing over four decades of being actively involved in Rhode Island’s music scene.

In September 1975, although primarily a blues club, Lupo’s became the first venue operating in the Capitol City to embrace all types of live music. The Brown University graduate opened Lupo’s Heartbreak Hotel at 377 Westminster St., a 4,000-square-foot former retail store, after unsuccessful attempts to find a location in Fox Point and North Main Street. Ultimately, his decision to open up that club – followed soon by The Met Café and The Living Room – led to a revitalization of Providence’s music scene.

Lupo remembers working long hours as a house painter during his college years and after, saving up the $15,000 to start his bar. As a teenager, he would tell others how cool he thought it would be to open a bar, with people dancing to records playing from a jukebox and listening to live bands. The young club owner dreamed of having Bo Diddley and other rock ‘n’ roll heroes play on his stage. This would happen.

According to Lupo, it turned out that customers only showed up on live music nights. So, while the jukebox stayed, band nights soon expanded from one to seven nights per week. The Heartbreak Hotel became a home to bands well-known for blues, rock ‘n’ roll, country rock, and jazz that came to New England looking for a gig. Many local favorites – including Roomful of Blues, Rizzz, Wild Turkey, The Young Adults, Schemers, NRBQ and Max Creek – played there and continue to do so.

Lupo says that the first national act at the club was harp player Big Walter Horton in November 1975. In 1976, teaming up with independent booking agent Jack Reich allowed the club to expand past blues to rock and beyond. That year, The Ramones played his club. In 1977, Lupo’s had Bo Diddley week – nine consecutive sold-out shows, with Bo backed by The Young Adults. Over the next few years, more rock ‘n’ roll and blues icons appeared at Lupo’s – James Brown, Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis, Muddy Waters, Iggy Pop, The Pretenders, The Go Gos, and Stevie Ray Vaughn, to name just a few.

Forced out by condo development

In 1988, Providence downtown gentrification would force Lupo to close his initial club. Reaching out to a college friend and realtor, he found his new digs at the former Peerless Department Store, re-opening in 1993. The new space was great because, though large, it still had a sense of intimacy.

With its 10,000 square feet of space, the club could do more and larger concerts. The space also annexed The Met Café, an intimate venue for smaller touring acts and local bands. At The Met, customers saw the early shows of future stars such as Dave Matthews, Oasis, and White Stripes.

At this second Lupo’s, the first shows were Belly and Meat Loaf. Later, the club hosted acts as diverse as Ziggy Marley, Hole, Radiohead, Garbage, Willie Nelson, Green Day, Foo Fighters, Anthrax, and even Tony Bennett.

In 2003, the club was again forced to move, and Providence city officials suggested the Strand Building on Washington Street. But the club had to share this space with the existing NV dance club, a separately owned business.

At its new location, there was no room for The Met. It would take seven years for Lupo and his wife, Sarah, to reopen The Met, just three miles away at the Hope Artiste Village in Pawtucket.

Ending our conversation, Lupo looks back and quickly rattles off some of the ups and downs of the last 40 years. Although there were plenty of both, Lupo best remembers realizing the dream of his heroes playing his stage and countless nights of joyous audiences taking some of the sting out of spending 15 of the 40 years fighting evictions.

But Lupo remains even-keeled by following advice from his 80-year-old friend, Chuck Lynch, who always says, “Just keep jogging in place.” If he follows this advice, I expect him to remain in business for another 40 years.

Herb Weiss, LRI 12, is a Pawtucket-based writer who covers aging, health care and medical issues. He can be reached at hweissri@aol.com.

The Upcoming Anniversary Celebration

Lupo’s 40th Anniversary Celebration will take place on Oct. 7-11 at The Met, Hope Artiste Village, 1005 Main St., Pawtucket.

Here are the details:

Wednesday, Oct. 7: Max Creek. $10 (adv). Doors at 6 p.m., show at 7 p.m.

Thursday, Oct. 8: 40 Years of Rhody Blues, hosted by Duke Robillard and featuring Al Copley, Rich Lataille, Greg Piccollo, Doug James, Carl Queforth, Marty Ballou, Marty Richards and Rob Nelson with special guests Ken Lyon and James Montgomery. $10. Doors at 6 p.m., show at 7 p.m.

Friday, Oct. 9: The Schemers, Neutral Nation, Jungle Dogs and Rash. $10. Doors at 6 p.m., show at 7 p.m.

Saturday, Oct. 10: Rizzz. Members of the Wild Turkey Band & Friends featuring Tom Keegan. $10. Doors at 6 p.m., show at 7 p.m.

Sunday, Oct. 11: The Young Adults, Georgie Porgie & The Cry Babies. $15. Doors at 6 p.m., show at 7 p.m.

For more details, call 401-331-5876 or go to www.lupos.com & www.themetri.com.

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