N ectar’s nightclub opened its doors last week to an exuberant, mainly local crowd with a kickoff show featuring the sounds and songs of Island musicians. Some of the multitude attended in tribute to the Hot Tin Roof, the storied Vineyard nightclub of the late seventies and early eighties that once thrived in that same space. A younger set came out to celebrate the survival of the largest live music venue on the Island.

Even before Jemima James strummed the first live chord of the night, Islanders who frequented this place when it was called the Hot Tin Roof whirled around the dance floor, tossing their arms overhead only to let them drop. Their hair may have thinned and their figures may be fuller, but these folks partied like it was 1979. Twentysomethings swung along with them, as if hoping to extract some conception of dancing alongside John Belushi at the Roof or jumping the fence in all-black to sneak into a B.B. King performance here as an underage kid.

There’s an astounding history here, and the crowd feels it. Behind them, an illuminated poppy sun set over the sea in a left-of-stage mural by Island artist Margot Datz.

“Everything is about the music. That’s what brings everyone from all walks of life together,” Nectar’s co-owner Jason Gelrud said, reflecting on the diverse makeup of the dance floor. He added, “Those generational differences and culture lines kind of disappear when everyone is here to focus on the music.”

In a word, that’s what the Nectar’s brand is all about: music.

Mr. Gelrud, along with co-owners Noel Donnellan, Peter Picard and Christopher Walsh and general manager Alex Budney, arrived on the Vineyard last month from Burlington, Vt., where they own and manage the original Nectar’s, birthplace of jam band Phish. Their aim in opening Nectar’s on the Vineyard is simple: establish a music venue where local and national talent can sing, play, spin or rap in genres ranging from indie rock and bluegrass to reggae and hip-hop.

Friday night marked not only the opening of the second of many Nectar’s, but a revival and fourth chance for the legendary space to recapture the once infectious spirit that buzzed between its walls during the heyday of the Hot Tin Roof. Original owners Carly Simon, George Brush and Herb Putnam launched the Roof in 1979 as the largest music venue on-Island. The club soared to fame with acts like B.B. King, the Temptations and Lou Reed. “The place took off like a rocket ship and it was very, very hot for a long time and then the management changed and that killed it,” original co-owner George Brush said. The doors of the Roof later closed. The club reopened for a short time before finally closing forever. Brothers Barry and Arthur Rosenthal revived the club as Outerland in 2006, but after the 2008 summer season, citing financial struggles, the Rosenthals put the club on the market. In March of 2009, five guys from Burlington swooped it up.

“It was like the planets aligned,” Mr. Walsh said. “We all found out about it separately at the same exact time.”

With plans to expand the Nectar’s brand already in the works, the guys jumped on tip-offs they received from friends and musicians living on the Vineyard. “People have been coming here since 1979,” Mr. Budney said, adding, “To see this community without a venue this size that provides live music — well, I wouldn’t want to live here. It’s beautiful here and everything, but I need music where I live. I would never live in a place like that. And I’m sure that there are a lot of people [who feel this way] here and I’m sure that lots of people here were scared about what was happening.”

Opening night, Mr. Budney said was “very much a thank-you” to the Island musicians and community that have welcomed and embraced Nectar’s, even before its launch.

The only hiccup of the night was a laughably pathetic opening comedy act delivered by a seemingly manic stand-up performer from Vermont. After a man summoned the white-blonde, beach-dress-clad woman spewing uncomfortable blather offstage, the crowd revitalized with music, wild dancing, drinks and fistfuls of gravy fries.

Standing below a TV screen playing the Coen brothers’ comedy The Big Lebowski on a loop, Islanders who once partied at the Roof exchanged “remember whens.” The sentiment coloring the conversations was hopeful. Some hope for a renaissance of the club that was, the legends who played there and the crowd that partied with them. Others hope the new Nectar’s brand and management will yield a fresh start.

“The place looks great — better than ever!” a woman said to Mr. Walsh. “How did you do it?”

“I lowered the lighting,” he answered.

Aside from dimmed lighting, lower ticket prices, a new lineup and fresh management, nothing much has changed — yet.

“We’re renting with the option to buy, so obviously we didn’t want to put a lot of money into the place. We put money into the music and the staff,” he continued. He called this summer a “test drive.” In the fall the five partners will decide to buy or bust.

Yet even now, change is a buzzword among the five partners. Talk of installing an outdoor speaker system and expanding tight spaces that contribute to crowd congestion is already brewing. If the men purchase the building, they plan to follow a formula that worked well in Burlington: survey the community for suggestions on how to revamp the club before making any changes. “Burlington and Martha’s Vineyard have a lot of parallels,” Mr. Walsh said. “[They are] very close-knit communities and people are very sensitive and feel a sense of entitlement and don’t want to see things changed.”

The trademark murals of ocean, meadows, sea and shingled homes by Ms. Datz cast a playful, eccentric charm about the nightclub, and while the owners agree that the artwork is remarkable, they may decide to cover the walls (without defacing the artwork). “As many people love it, hate it,” Mr. Walsh said. “I know that’s a strong word, but many people roll their eyes and think it’s very dated. I’ve had people come up to me and say it looks like a playhouse.”

One revamp already in action is a trend toward simplification. The partners agree that the Rosenthals built up Outerland from a confused concept. They proffered fine dining alongside rock and reggae-heavy music. “The menus we stumbled across were something you would see in a super high-end restaurant,” Mr. Walsh said. “It just didn’t seem to jibe with the venue atmosphere. It wasn’t the type of food that you would want to sit down and eat with 800 people around you.” Nectar’s objective is simpler: “We’re a music venue that serves good pub grub.”

The menu features basic finger foods like soft French fries soused in thick gravy, quesadillas and chicken wings with homemade sauces served by waiters dressed in “Got Gravy?” T-shirt. More filling fare like gravy fries layered between a hamburger and bun, veggie burgers, chicken tender wraps and other sandwiches are also available. Nectar’s offers take-out service and the kitchen keeps cooking until closing time.

“I think they got a great vibe going on there,” Barry Rosenthal said, adding, “The history in that place is it’s been a lot of brand name music and they cost a lot of money to bring to the Island . . . so I think one of the keys is keeping local music in there . . . [to] thereby bring the cost of the tickets down to bring more people there so they eat and drink and put money back into it. I think they’re doing all the right things.”

Mooncussers guitarist Brad Tucker, 29, said Nectar’s management has a combination of experience and open-mindedness that will help propel the club into success comparable to the glory days of the Hot Tin Roof. “This group of guys are all about listening,” he said, adding, “They’re all ears, super motivated and all about the music.”

The summer lineup includes national headliners like Barrington Levy, Average White Band and Method Man, Redman and Ghostface Killah. The owners hope to lure some members of Phish to play on the Vineyard this summer. Many more performances are pending.

Nectar’s protocol requires all national acts to play with local musicians. “This is a really musical Island,” Mr. Walsh said. “There’s real talent here. We think it’s important to create a platform for local music.”

The partners plan to fill the club with brilliant sound five or six nights per week through Nov. 30. Local music night and reggae night will occur weekly in addition to shows featuring a mélange of musical styles, including indie rock, folk, funk, bluegrass, blues, hip-hop and deejay spinning.

“We’re trying to gauge it, too, but really, the sky’s the limit,” Mr. Walsh said. “If people want to pay $75 to see the Allman Brothers, that can be a reality . . . Now we’re just trying to feel out the Vineyard.”