If you take a walk around the halls of our radio stations and visit with the people that work here you'll see quite the mix of influences and favorites when it comes to music.  But that's why most of us get drawn to working in radio, we love the artists, the music, the concerts, and the free tickets! And I think the love of music is exactly why I paid attention to a post I saw over the weekend. It was about a small place that holds concerts here in Missoula and I had never heard of it.

Have you ever heard of this place?

You probably know the big places around town to see a show like the Adams Center, KettleHouse Amphitheater, The Wilma, Dennison Theater, Top Hat, various breweries, and some of the bars around town. But are you familiar with the old church at the corner of Crosby & Longstaff that's known as the Longstaff House? I saw a post online where the guy that lives there was throwing out the website and saying he often holds concerts there. I couldn't help but investigate a little more.

John Parker lives in the restored church at 601 Longstaff and books house concerts that are considered to be private parties. They hold about 100 people and it sounds like the events have grown to include a bit of an underground following.

I promote the events through my Facebook page and a 400-person email list from past concerts.  My bookings are coming from word-of-mouth, I rarely solicit acts and do not make any guarantees. To qualify as a house concert, I give all the proceeds to the performers....

What a cool place to see a show

The website for Longstaff House has a list of past performers as well as upcoming shows. I had no idea that this was a thing! And neither did some others that took a moment to reply to the original post.

  • Hi neighbor! I walk by your house almost every day with my dog, Charley. I’ve always wondered what the Longstaff house was! Thank you for sharing!
  • How do we get tickets to your shows?
  • I live a few blocks away as well. I had no idea it was an old church! Way cool.
  • Could you please keep us posted on future concerts? This sounds so fun!
Photo: John Parker
Photo: John Parker
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I reached out to John Parker on the phone and he described the shows as being kind of like he's having a house party.....with a band.....that everyone chips in to pay. He also said at this point he's had more than 90 shows play at Longstaff House.

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Here's how to keep updated

It sounds like it would be a pretty awesome setting to see live music. If you want to be alerted to upcoming shows, visit the website and you can provide your email address to get on the Longstaff House mailing list.

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