The Truth About the Beastie Boys’ First Show in Montana

It may sound like a joke. Three rowdy rappers from New York roll into rural Montana. The Beastie Boys actually played a concert in Montana back in 1987.

Locals have been sharing stories of the show since in happened. Not only did the Beastie Boys play in Montana, the concert was the first date on the group's first headlining tour.

The Beastie Boys’ Played First Headlining Concert In Montana

Unfortunately, the concert happened in 1987, long before people had cell phones to capture pictures and video. The remaining members of the group reminisced about the Missoula concert in Beastie Boys Story, a documentary streaming on Apple TV.

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The Beastie Boys launched their License to Ill tour at the University of Montana Theatre in Missoula, Montana on January 28, 1987.

We're not sure if it's true, but there's an online rumor that the Beastie Boys were banned from playing at the University of Montana after the show. They reportedly caused a lot of damage.

There are even people who claim they saw Ad-Rock, Mike D, and MCA skiing in jeans at Snowbowl. As hard as we tried, we couldn't find any pictures or video from the show online. If you were there, we'd love to see some pics.

The Beastie Boys playing in Missoula will go down as one of the greatest moments in Montana concert history. Long before the group blew up worldwide, they were skiing in jeans in Montana.

In an article on the Independent website, the Beastie Boys shared details about their first show in Missoula.

Just to f*** with [the stage designer] we go, ‘we want a 10-foot six pack of Budweiser for a DJ riser, we want a go-go dancer cage and we want this big box with a 25ft d*** coming out of it at the end of the show. The next thing you know we get to Missoula, Montana for the first show and there it is.

So if you ever hear someone in a Montana bar say, “Did I ever tell you about the time the Beastie Boys came through?” Pull up a stool. It’s a story worth hearing again.