Live in Burlington long enough and you start to develop this sort of unofficial pantheon of local legends: characters who defined the Queen City during certain eras, who pulled others into their orbits and made the city better simply by existing in it.
Matthew Stephen Perry was one of those legends. He died on Saturday, March 21, at age 49, leaving an entire community in mourning.
Many knew Perry as Burlington’s MVP of bartenders, a king behind the wood at a slew of local pubs, most notably the Other Place, Citizen Cider and Finnegan’s. Others recognized him as one of the most ubiquitous faces on the music scene, often planted in the front rows of many a Burlington rock show.
He was just as often on the stage as in front of it. Perry’s first band, the Lestons, was a standout in the early 2000s local rock scene, a powerhouse of riffs and full-throated abandon personified by Perry’s presence: a tall, teddy bear-like man with a wild shock of dark hair that flew in every direction as he played his guitar and bellowed with a booming voice. He later played in Party Star and Dino Bravo and made his yearly St. Patrick’s Day appearance with Everybody’s Favorite Irish Drinking Songs Band. He dominated any stage with his songs, giant-size charisma and a wicked sense of humor.
Perry performing with Everybody’s Favorite Irish Drinking Songs Band Credit: File: Luke Awtry
Perry was as quick with a smile as he was slinging drinks behind the bar. He was an endlessly warm and loving guy who loved rock and roll, Boston sports, and, more than anything, his friends. One scroll through local social media feeds this week is all it takes to see just how many people in Burlington felt the same about him and were devastated by his death.
And Perry loved the city right back. His adoration of Burlington, from his favorite haunts and beach spots to its bands and people, was unconditional. No matter what others said about the Queen City, the Massachusetts native was a fierce defender of his adopted home.
It’s frankly impossible for me to write about him and maintain any sort of journalistic integrity. Perry was my best friend. We played music together for well over a decade. We shut down far too many bars in our heyday. We played on kickball teams. We were there for each other through divorce, death, breakups and more than a few scary drives back from gigs in Vermont winters.
Soon, I’ll have much more to say about my dear friend — hilarious stories and tales of epic Burlington nights. But Matt Perry belonged to this entire community, and today that community is mourning the loss of one of its true legends. So, Burlington, put on some of your favorite tunes, pour yourself something nice, even if it’s just water, and raise your glass to one of the Queen City’s brightest comets as he rockets out of the universe. ➆
The original print version of this article was headlined “Farewell to the Party Star | Remembering Matthew Stephen Perry, my best friend”
