This Rock Hall Band Once Played Missoula’s Smallest Venue

Every so often, something shows up on the internet that causes you to pause and think, "Wait, that happened here?" That’s the feeling you get when you discover, almost by accident, a grainy video from 2000 featuring a now Rock & Roll Hall of Fame band performing their first-ever Montana show at Jay’s Upstairs. You know, that loud, sticky little venue downtown. A place that hasn’t existed there in two decades but somehow still seems like it does.

From Jay’s Upstairs to the Hall of Fame

It’s strange watching two musicians who would one day make it into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame shred like no tomorrow in front of maybe thirty other people. That's what happened when Jack and Meg White played a set on June 15th of 2000. The set is raw, sweaty, and gloriously imperfect; Jack White even teases he’s a little “grogged up” and asks for an aspirin from an audience member mid-show. Meanwhile, Meg keeps it simple, like it’s just any old Thursday in Missoula.

It’s not studio-polished, but that’s precisely what makes it so good. You can almost catch a whiff of the PBR-soaked floorboards and hear the creak of the stage and constant chatter from the college girls in the corner.

Jay’s Upstairs Loud, Sticky, and Gone Too Soon

If you ever caught a show at Jay’s Upstairs, you can probably picture it in your mind. The low ceilings, loud everything, and a floor that shook just enough for you to wonder if it was all going to come crashing down. The place closed down in 2004, but for so many people who are making music locally, it’s where they learned.

 Missoula Sees Talent

It’s still pretty wild for someone to think that there is now an act in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame above a standard downtown Missoula drinking hole. And it’s not the first time this town has caught lightning in a bottle. I can remember seeing Highly Suspect at the Badlander in front of like 20 people. The next day, the band got a Grammy nomination. That’s Missoula for you.

Check out the entire White Stripes set from Jay's Upstairs in Missoula.