Which makes this T-shirt 35 years old. Yikes. When Rich Lupo opened his first Lupo’s Heartbreak Hotel on Westminster Street there was absolutely nothing else going on downtown. This had its advantages in that all hell could break loose in and around the place and there was simply no one to complain. We really weren’t bothering anybody in the truest tree-falls-in-the-forest sense. And it never got too out of hand because the Providence Police had some reasonably competent foot patrols on duty, dedicated public servants who were more than glad to check the premises and make sure that the band was playing loud enough. There have been three Luposes . . . so far.
The legendary Lupo’s I (1975-88) was at 377 Westminister St., to be replaced by Lupo’s II (1993-2003) in the old Peerless Department Store at 239 Westminster, and finally Lupo’s III (2003-present) in the Strand Building at 79 Washington St.
The iconic Dan Gosch murals of deceased musicians — Elvis, of course, plus Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Bob Marley and more — have moved with Lupo’s from place to place.
The linoleum floor of Lupo’s II featured a Scrabble board motif, an homage to Mr. Lupo’s favorite pastime. That gap in time between Lupo I and Lupo II was largely devoted to playing Tournament Scrabble.
Andy Smith has written a great piece in the Providence Journal “A dream, a bar, a legend.” (Uh oh, I smell a new T-shirt.) The article has a complete schedule of the special anniversary shows featuring bands who have all played at Lupo’s to be held at The Met from Wednesday, October 7th through October 11th (the Young Adults and Georgie Porgie & the Crybabies!) and some fabulous old photographs.
What a run. And it’s not over yet.