The Hard Hat Lounge is throwing an anniversary party on Friday, November 1 at 8 p.m., featuring music, vendors, and food by Stay Tuned Burgers, the in-house food counter. Owner Frank Sidoris came into the picture two years ago, balancing the project with life as a professional rock star, touring the world as a guitarist for Slash and Wolfgang Van Halen’s Mammoth WVH. He’s bringing a fresh investment and rock n’ roll attitude to the Hard Hat Lounge, while making a point to not change what makes it special in the first place.
The Hard Hat Lounge has been around since 1962. What are you doing to bring it up to speed or put your own stamp on it?
"The bar, historically, has been a dive, going through ups and downs over the years. Once we took over, we realized the charm of the bar is what brings people in. The things that needed attention, like the 52-year-old plumbing, we fixed all that. I didn’t want anybody to assume we were going to just take it over, gut it, and remove what makes it cool. That was the last thing we were going to do. I removed a brick wall (that was added after the original opening). Other than that, nothing has changed.
Frank Bowers’ mural. (Hard Hat Lounge)
"The mural we have (behind the bar) is from 1962. Frank Bowers was a bar patron for the original Hard Hat owners. They owned a bar called Bourbon Room and Frank Bowers said, 'Hey, instead of paying the bar tab, can I paint you a mural instead?' They were like, 'Yep, that’s fine.' The mural hung in the Bourbon Room, then it was brought over and hung up at Hard Hat in 1970. It’s been untouched ever since."
You play in two bands with serious hard rock pedigree behind ‘em. From what you can tell out on the road, who has the most hardcore fans — Guns n’ Roses or Van Halen?
"That’s a tough call. I’m going to have to say Van Halen. I’m a big fan of both. My whole life, Guns n’ Roses was always a thing for me and Van Halen was always a thing for me. To be associated with either, it’s really an honor. I love everybody involved. There are moments when I catch myself — I remember being in Australia, playing 'Paradise City' with Slash and thinking, 'this is crazy, this is awesome.'"
Your mom was in the Crazy Girls topless show at the Riviera and is part of the iconic billboard and statue showcasing the backsides of the cast. Growing up, was that awkward — or does it give your mom some kind of cool Vegas cred?
"It’s credibility — all day, for decades. On the billboard, she was second from the right. On the statue, she’s third from the right. We’re trying to get that statue as we speak. We gotta make that happen. That needs to be on display somewhere. I think we have some space for it (at the Hard Hat Lounge).
An iconic sight at the long-gone Riviera. (Ethan Miller/Getty)
"Before the Riviera went down (in an implosion), we collected some artifacts. I’ve got a door handle from the front of the hotel facing Las Vegas Boulevard, and that brass door handle is hanging above the women’s restroom at Hard Hat.
"A lot of the kids I grew up with only went to the Strip when their family was in town. I was constantly on the Strip. My mom was a dancer. My dad worked table games at every casino you can imagine. He’s a floor manager at Resorts World now. My mom’s been producing shows for over 20 years now. I used to work on the Strip. I was a stagehand. I did all sorts of things. The Strip is home for me. I’m so comfortable with it."
