Heartbreak For Lupo’s?

Update: Richard Lupo of Lupo’s Heartbreak Hotel in Providence says his business is being unfairly tied to the alleged problems of the club he shares space and a license with.

Rhode Island’s Board of Liquor Licenses is in the process of determining whether to revoke the liquor license of Club Diesel, which has been called a “disorderly house” by the city, because of various incidents reported near the venue.

Because the two clubs operate under the same license, both would be forced to shut down if Diesel’s license is revoked.

Lupo told Pollstar he couldn’t comment on the case except to say he’s confident of a positive outcome.

“The ultimate decision on this is about two years away. There’s only two ways it can go for Lupo’s,” he said. “Either things will stay the same and we’ll stop our shows at 10:30 p.m. on the weekends, or we will be able to keep our shows until 2 a.m.

“We’ve been downtown for 30 years and we have a great relationship with the city.”

Club Diesel patrons are allowed in after the Lupo’s crowd has left the building on the nights when both businesses operate in the 1,975-capacity venue.

Attorneys for the city reportedly submitted about 360 incident reports related to Diesel over a three-year period. Police Major Paul Fitzgerald testified that only a few arrests took place during Lupo’s hours of operation, but they were still considered part of the city’s case against Diesel.

Meanwhile, Lupo’s has a full schedule of concerts through mid-July including The Fray, 30 Seconds to Mars, Les Claypool, Method Man, Thursday, and Yellowcard.

– Tina Amendola