Nectar’s

Among Vermont’s biggest exports are maple syrup, paperboard and dairy products, which is unsurprising given its wealth of trees and cows, and its main export market is Canada, which is equally unsurprising. Among the Green Mountain State’s biggest musical exports are Phish, Grace Potter and Anaïs Mitchell, which is unsurprising given their wealth of creativity and talent, and each has achieved household-name status worldwide, which is equally unsurprising.

What might surprise a lot of people, however, especially those from outside New England, is that Phish, Potter and Mitchell played many of their earliest shows in a restaurant/bar that opened during the disco era: Nectar’s. As legendary a venue as Vermont’s ever produced, the 200-capacity space at 188 Main Street in Burlington hosted thousands of local, regional and national acts for 50 years, becoming the area’s preeminent live-music spot while fostering a tightly knit community of local artists who honed their craft on its stage, chowing down what were promoted as “the world’s best gravy fries” before, between and after sets.

BUILDING HISTORY, NECTAR’S OPENING, OWNERSHIP CHANGES

The building at 188 Main Street was originally the home of the Burlington Savings and Loan Association, which opened in 1923, but it became a restaurant, bar and entertainment venue in 1960, when the Hi Hat Restaurant & Lounge moved there from its original location on Church Street. Nectar Rorris, who immigrated to the United States from Greece in 1956, acquired the space with two partners in 1975, keeping the ornate chandelier in the main room as a relic of the Hi Hat.

Norris had no interest in being involved with the music side of the business initially, so he ran the restaurant and bar while his partners handled bookings for the first few years. When his partners wanted to move on to other ventures in the late ‘70s, Rorris agreed to sell Nectar’s to a new owner, but he bought it back on his own just six months later, becoming sole proprietor. “The bands were thrilled to see that I was taking it back and that I was going to hire them back. From then, it took off,” he told Amanda Swinhart of the Associated Press in October 2025. Norris owned his namesake until 2003, when he sold it to local entrepreneurs Damon Brink and Chris Walsh; it changed hands once again in 2022, when Walsh and three other partners bought the business.

PHISH INFLUENCE

Regardless of the ownership changes, Nectar’s was always a place where people could discover new solo artists and bands. From its early years in the analog age to its final years in the digital one, it supported many up-and-coming acts with weekly, monthly or even longer residencies, which was invaluable for them in terms of building a fan base. “We’d provide the tools for bands to make it,” Norris told the AP’s Swinhart. One of those bands was Phish, who played their first gigs at Nectar’s in late 1984, had a roughly two-year residency, and performed there dozens of times before Elektra released their debut album in 1989. The band’s third LP, 1992’s A Picture of Nectar, is dedicated to Rorris, who’s said that Phish’s role in the venue’s success was immeasurable.

“Phish made Nectar’s,” he told Swinhart, since their sweeping fame from the ‘90s onward put the venue in the national spotlight, turning it into a must-play spot for local and touring musicians alike. Alex Budney, who started working at Nectar’s in 2001 as a 19-year-old cook and wound up staying for more than 20 years, said the band members befriended the staff and watched up-and-coming acts regularly. “The guys from Phish were very good to us,” he told Swinhart. “My college band would play there on Monday nights and there would be nobody there. But the keyboard player from Phish would come down in a snowstorm and sit at the bar and watch us play and talk to us.”

In September 2024, Phish bassist Mike Gordon popped in for singer-songwriter Maggie Rose’s sound check, then joined her band for two songs, giving her a rare chance to soak in the Nectar’s experience in an unforgettable way. “The lore of Nectar’s did not disappoint. It truly was just one of those surreal moments,” she told Swinhart. As one would expect, the venue’s singular place in Phish history meant that it was chock-full of Phish photos and memorabilia.

NOTABLE APPEARANCES, WEEKLY SERIES, THEME NIGHTS

Phish wasn’t the only local act to break on a national or global scale after cutting their teeth at Nectar’s, however, though they’re the best-known by far among the general public (especially since  Ben & Jerry’s introduced Phish Food in 1997). The most glaring examples are Grace Potter and Anaïs Mitchell, but Nactar’s staples including Pork Tornado, Strangefolk, Assembly of Dust, Twiddle, RAQ, The Jazz Mandolin Project, Prydien and Phish tribute band The Lizards have built strong national followings, as have a host of others.

Notable solo artists and bands from outside Vermont who appeared at Nectar’s included Warren Zevon,The Toasters, Yellowman, Marc Ribot’s Ceramic Dog, Max Creek, Spacehog, Blind Melon, Rustic Overtones, B.B. King, Roomful of Blues, Dinosaur Jr.’s J Mascis, and Stick Men, and Nectar’s hosted various weekly series and theme nights: Metal Mondays; Dead Set Tuesdays; blues, jazz and reggae nights; comedy nights; and Sunday Night Mass, which showcased electronic artists.

FINANCIAL STRUGGLES, SUMMER CLOSING ANNOUNCEMENT

Despite the venue’s extraordinary significance to musicians and music lovers in and around Burlington, construction in the city’s downtown area as a result of the Great Streets BTV initiative in 2024 and 2025 resulted in significantly reduced foot traffic, making it increasingly difficult for the owners to manage overhead. In a May 9, 2025 Facebook post, the venue announced that it would be closed from June 7 until the fall since they’d been “hit hard” by the construction, which had “taken a heavier toll” than anticipated; “we will be pressing pause this summer, as we face the immense challenges affecting downtown Burlington and the local live music & entertainment scene,” it read.

While the post came as a shock to musicians, Nectar’s patrons and the community at large, it also assured people that the owners were not planning to fold up the tent. “Let us be clear: this is not the end,” it read. “We are fighting for the future of Nectar’s and are actively exploring every path forward… We believe in what Nectar’s stands for. And we believe Burlington still needs places like this… That’s why we’re using this time to regroup, rebuild, and return stronger. Adapting isn’t giving up – it’s how legends endure.”

CLOSING, LEGACY

That assurance aside, news of the end came just seven weeks after the “summer pause” started, when a July 30 Facebook post confirmed that Nectar’s was, in fact, done; that made jazz-fusion-hip-hop drummer Blaque Dynamite, who appeared at the venue on June 7, the last act to take the Nectar’s stage. “After 50 unforgettable years at 188 Main Street, and with a heartfelt goodbye… Nectar’s will no longer occupy the space that helped shape the soul of Burlington’s music scene,” the post read. “While our time at this beloved address is coming to a close, the spirit of Nectar’s will live on. To our family, fans, and friends – thank you. Your energy over the last five decades has meant more than we can ever say. The Nectar’s light will forever burn bright in Burlington. As always… Stay loud. Stay passionate. Never stop dancing.”

The post drew hundreds of comments, tributes and emojis from musicians, former employees and patrons. Whether lamenting the venue’s demise, sharing memories of past shows, or saying how they’ll miss “the world’s best gravy fries,” the response made it clear that Nectar’s was the linchpin of the local music scene and that it had been invaluable in terms of helping emerging artists establish a loyal following. “As a musician, you want to move up. You get a few fans; you go to a bigger club. That’s what Nectar’s was,” wrote Chris Farnsworth of the Burlington-based weekly Seven Days. Asked for his thoughts on the closing, Justin Remillard, who booked acts for the Sunday Night Mass series at Nectar’s for 25 years, said that very few live-music venues survive as long as Nectar’s did and that nothing lasts forever. “Fifty years is an amazing run for a nightclub, but the only constant is change,” he told the AP’s Swinhart.

(by D.S. Monahan)