For those of us of a certain age, we grew up at Mississippi Nights night club. I remember the concert venue was almost a home-away-from-home, intimate, not remotely intimidating and host to a lot of all-ages shows.
One night, I was listening to 105.7 the Point and the DJ, a British guy whose name I've forgotten, was giving away free tickets to see Tricky. I called in and won them, but couldn't find anyone to go with me, but I had been to Mississippi Nights a few times before and felt comfortable going alone. A few friends I hadn't thought to ask were already there when I arrived, which was surprising but it wasn't. You were usually bound to run into someone you knew there. That day, the crowd was not too big, and a lot of people, including my friends, were just sitting in the all ages "pit" waiting for the show to begin. I joined them on the floor. That was Mississippi Nights.
I would see The Urge there, and Zap Mama twice. It was so small, it was kind of like watching a concert in your living room. Sometimes, like for the Point's Ho Ho show, the place would be so crowded, people would be climbing the walls (not literally), and other times there'd be room to breathe as you watched a yet-to-be-discovered gem.
Reading Mississippi Nights: A History of The Music Club in St. Louis by Garrett and Stacy Enloe took me back to those years when I would catch the MetroLink to the Landing. It reminded me of all the great acts that played there before they blew up, and the wild joy that characterized my experience of the '90s and early aughts.
Garrett and Stacy Enloe's book is a scrapbook of photos, ticket stubs, occupancy permits, signed photos and staff pics, all lovingly collected to remember the music venue that shaped many St. Louisans' formative years.
The book also tells the history of this club, which started in the mid 1970s and was torn down in 2007 to make way for a parking lot. (Yes, really.) Enjoy a trip down memory lane with artifacts and quotes from the book below.