That Was Epic

The experience of a great concert is fleeting. It’s a singular performance—and when it’s over, it’s over. Sometimes, a show is so great, you can’t believe you were lucky enough to see it. But legends of these concerts can carry on through history (or infamy) for decades. 

From residence hall basements to the cavernous Mullins Center to the velvet seats of the Bromery Fine Arts Center’s concert hall, venues of all stripes across the UMass Amherst campus have hosted some truly epic shows with some of music’s biggest names—and lots of smaller ones. These stand-out performances give a glimpse into just some of the legendary concerts held at UMass Amherst. And stay tuned, because you never know when the next history-making performance will happen. 

Suwanee River Quartette, 1914 

This popular group travelled extensively for fifteen years and played music all over the country. Over 100 years ago, the Roister Doisters—a student dramatic society—brought them to Amherst for a performance. The Quartette played to a packed house at the Old Chapel (just the Chapel back then). 

The Byrds, 1968 

Roger McGuinn and Gram Parsons’ pioneering folk rock outfit brought their jingle-jangle to the Curry Hicks Cage in 1968. Also of note: just two months prior, Simon and Garfunkel played on the same stage. 

Nina Simone, 1969 

When the burgeoning W. E. B. DuBois Department of Afro-American Studies (which was approved by the board of trustees in early 1970) was building its particular focus around activism in 1969, legendary songwriter, composer, and civil rights activist Nina Simone came to campus to give a special performance. (Watch Simone’s performance of “Black is the Color of My True Love’s Hair” at UMass.) 

Bruce Springsteen, 1973 

An unassuming calendar listing advertised “rock concert” in the local paper, but “the Boss” packed the Alumni Stadium for the 1973 Spring Concert. 

The Grateful Dead with Patti Smith, 1979 

This stacked bill was held at the Alumni Stadium (now McGuirk). Opener Patti Smith had released her smash hit “Because the Night” a year prior, which pushed her to mainstream success. One account claims cloudy skies threatened rain until the Dead played “Looks Like Rain,” and the sun came out. The concert drew an estimated 40,000 people to the UMass campus, and the rowdy crowd is audible on archival recordings.

The Talking Heads, 1979 

The art school buds cum new wave mainstays collaborated with renowned producer Brian Eno on their album Fear of Music, released in 1979. Later that year, they graced the Fine Arts Center stage (there was no opening act, but the B-52s’ first album played on the PA before the show). Years before David Byrne’s iconic Big Suit, the four-piece band was outfitted simply while they played hits like “Life During Wartime” and “Psycho Killer.” 

The Allman Brothers with Bonnie Raitt, 1980 

“Cher was here, but only because she was married to Gregg Allman at the time,” recalls Lloyd Henley ’90. Before he started as a student at UMass, he was a drummer in a band called Southbound, which had opened for the Allman Brothers. That day, he was helping with production backstage—and he’s been booking concerts on campus ever since. Today, as Director of Student Engagement, Facilities, and Media, he advises the student-run University Programming Council (UPC), which produces the Spring Concert, sometimes known as the “Spring Fling,” and other concerts and events on campus. 

Miles Davis, 1982 

Less than two months after suffering a suspected stroke that paralyzed his right hand, Miles Davis performed three warmup gigs in Massachusetts—two in Boston and one at UMass Amherst—before embarking on a European tour. (Hear the full set from April 3, 1982 at UMass Amherst.)  

Peter Tosh and Jimmy Cliff, 1982 

Wailer Peter Tosh and early reggae champion Jimmy Cliff performed on a double bill at the Fine Arts Center. 

Black Flag, 1984 

The 80s and early 90s brought a wave of underground, punk, and hardcore shows to UMass. Handmade flyers—an art form of their own—could be seen all over campus and throughout downtown Amherst. In the early days of hardcore, Black Flag performed in the Student Union Ballroom with openers Outpatients, Don’t Ask, and St. Vitus. 

Dinosaur Jr., 1986 

Rising stars Dinosaur Jr.—manned by western Mass. natives J Mascis, Lou Barlow, and Murph—brought their merger of hardcore with classic and indie rock sensibilities to the Student Union Ballroom. Bands like the Ramones, Fugazi, Hüsker Dü, Rage Against the Machine, A Tribe Called Quest, Pearl Jam, and Sonic Youth played in the ballroom—and other small venues across campus (like the Blue Wall)—before becoming household names. In the same era, a lively underground concert scene blossomed in residence hall basements across campus, where students would book shows with local and smaller touring bands. Shows put on by UPC and “dorm shows” were “like two universes running in parallel,” says Jeremy Smith ’94, now the Moving Image and Sound Archivist at the Robert S. Cox Special Collections & University Archives Research Center. “Back then, bands like Sonic Youth could probably make more money at a college show than at a club,” notes Smith. “It was an amazing experience,” he recalls, “to have cutting edge and A-list bands playing on campus and walking down to the Student Union to see them.” (Watch Dinosaur Jr. perform their song “Kracked” in the UMass Amherst Student Union Ballroom.) 

Phish, 1992 

One for the books, the 1992 “Spring Fling” not only featured Phish, Vermont’s most famous jam band, but also Rippopatamus, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, fIREHOSE, Fishbone, and Beastie Boys. Concertgoers moshed by the Campus Pond during the afternoon show, which took place on Mother’s Day. 

Ludacris with the Roots and Guster, 2002 

By the aughts, the annual Spring Concert had relocated to the Mullins Center. Rapper Ludracris performed his hit “Rollout” during his set. Philadelphia hip hop band The Roots (now the house band on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon) and Somerville, Mass. natives Guster opened the evening, along with Southwest Battle of the Bands winner Sunshine Fix. 

Kanye West, 2005 

Before Yeezy shoes, Kardashians, and wearing socks outside, there was just Kanye West. In 2005, he took to the Mullins Center stage in aviator shades and a grey suit jacket to perform hits from his College Dropout album. 

Cardi B, 2018 

Megastar rapper Cardi B, pregnant (but no less energetic for it) and dressed in a long red and white striped blouse, dazzled UMass students with spirited dance moves and a bombastic pep talk. Her performance was their prize for besting 63 other universities in a contest sponsored by the dating app Tinder. The concert was only 30 minutes long, but some students said it was the best night of their lives.