The Met

The Met is a mix of two iconic Rhode Island music clubs. Lupo’s Heartbreak Hotel and the Met both opened their doors in 1975 in downtown Providence. Those times were wild, when people would go to drink, dance, and let loose. For 13 years there were thousands of shows at Lupo’s – among them James Brown, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Bo Diddley, the Ramones, Roy Orbison, Talking Heads, and the Pretenders. The club was home to all the legendary “house” bands: Roomful of Blues, NRBQ, the Young Adults, Rizzz, Wild Turkey, the Schemers, Beaver Brown and Steve Smith and the Nakeds. A short walk away, at the original Met, you could catch the best Americana and blues bands, from the Fabulous Thunderbirds to Fatman Wilson, from the Groovemasters to Jack Smith & the Rockabilly Planet. It’s hard to imagine that such a tiny room could loom so large in Providence clublore. Fast forward to 2009, the next chapter began. Lupo’s booking agent learned of an available space in Pawtucket’s Hope Artiste Village. Rich Lupo was struck by how eerily reminiscent it was of his original club. In 2010, Rich and Sarah Lupo opened the Met anew. Today, The Met is a versatile (& legendary!) mid-size music room booking rock, folk, comedy, hip hop, and blues acts from around the country.