30 Years of Memorable Musical Experiences at UB’s Center for the Arts
My fondest memories from an incredible three-decade run (and some honorable mentions, too)
My first visit to UB’s Center for the Arts took place in 1995, the occasion being a MainStage Theatre performance by the legendary British progressive music ensemble King Crimson.
The air of electricity and lofty expectation I felt as I walked into the theatre for that maiden voyage remains with me today.
During that first CFA concert experience, I imagined that this then-new building could act as a bridge between two cultures, connecting the broader Buffalo-area arts and music coterie to the University community.
Thirty years later, that dream has become an unquestionable reality.
“We have a dual role, and that’s exciting to me,” Center for the Arts Executive Director Jamie Enser told me, as the CFA’s 30th anniversary celebration kicked off. “We’re part of the community, part of the Buffalo cultural fabric, and we’re a great bridge between that community and the University.
“We function as an arts hub.”
Over the course of the last 30 years, patrons came to realize that they could expect exquisite, pristine live sound at every concert they attended at the CFA - the result of an incredibly well-designed acoustic space, one that has made a fan out of not just concert attendees, but the performing artists themselves.
As the Center for the Arts launches its 30th Anniversary season, Enser feels that the the entire complex in general, and the MainStage Theatre in particular, have turned a corner, and are poised to marry the best of what’s happened over the past 30 years with a forward-looking attitude, one that will allow for legacy artists and seasoned icons to be scheduled alongside new musicians and performers. Already, the CFA’s 30th Anniversary schedule is underscoring this idea.
The following is a list of 30 of my personal favorites among the hundred-plus shows I’ve attended at the Center for the Arts since 1994, along with a few of the many concerts that deserve an ‘honorable mention,’ in my view.
Here’s to the next 30 years at the Center for the Arts…
The Top 10:
King Crimson
May 26, 1995
The legendary band debuted its then-new double-trio format, and celebrated its recently released masterpiece, Thrak. Unforgettable.
Jeff Beck
April 22, 2011
Smack in the middle of a later-career renaissance, the guitarist was joined by Rhonda Smith on bass, Narada Michael Walden on drums and Jason Rebello on keyboards, for a fiery set that featured a heavy dose of pieces from his revered 1976 album Wired.
Return to Forever
August 8, 2011
Progenitors of the far-reaching electric jazz movement of the 1970s, Return to Forever, Chick Corea, Stanley Clarke, Jean-Luc Ponty, Lenny White and Frank Gambale blended past glories with new music during this transcendent evening at the CFA.
Pat Metheny Group
February 17, 2005
The Pat Metheny group always struck me as the Pink Floyd of contemporary jazz, with far-reaching, broadly cinematic compositions marked by serious forays into the improvisational heavens. This night featured a setlist that touched on every aspect of their storied career.
David Byrne: The Songs of David Byrne and Brian Eno
November 28, 2008
Celebrating his magnificent then-new collaboration with Brian Eno, Everything That Happens Will Happen Today, Byrne and his band looked back with love at a years-long partnership’s most profound moments.
Bruce Hornsby & the Noisemakers
September 22, 2002
Every Hornsby show is a great Hornsby show, generally speaking, and the man’s relationship with the Center for the Arts runs deep. But on this particular night, there was absolute magic in the room, and the band and their leader could simply do no wrong.
Derek Trucks Band
November 17, 2004
Even more than two decades back, Derek Trucks was already his generation’s most imaginative and virtuosic electric guitarist. This was the very show that convinced me of as much.
Beat: Plays the Music of 80s King Crimson
December 9, 2024
Nearly 30 years on from the very first time King Crimson music was heard with the pristine acoustical environment of the Center for the Arts, this supergroup - Adrian Belew, Steve Vai, Danny Carey and Tony Levin - celebrated a particularly fruitful period in King Crimson history.
Jon Batiste
May 10, 2024
“It all felt like a combination of a seriously funky church service, a warm and inviting recital in a pristine acoustic environment, and a casual musical hang with an old friend,” I opined in my review of this show. “Unforgettable, in a word.”
The Black Crowes
November 6, 2006
This was quite likely the loudest show I ever experienced at the Center for the Arts, but it was also one of the very best. The band was simply on fire that night, and they performed with a force that could not be denied.
Another 20 Enchanted Evenings:
Ben Harper & the Innocent Criminals
October 7, 2023
Tori Amos
October 7, 1996
Zappa Plays Zappa
October 23, 2006
John McLaughlin & the 4th Dimension with Jimmy Herring
November 1, 2017
Ray LaMontagne
October 13, 2017
Tears for Fears
October 4, 2004
Ray Charles
July 17, 2003
John Prine
November 18, 2000
Ratdog
November 12, 2000
Tedschi Trucks Band
October 16, 2011
Chris Cornell
November 5, 2013 & October 11, 2015
Bonnie Raitt
August 2, 2015
Wayne Shorter Quartet
November 21, 2013
Herbie Hancock
October 9, 2013
Levon Helm Band
March 6, 2011
Emmylou Harris
November 10, 2010
Mark Knopfler
April 28, 2010
Puscifer
April 5, 2016
Zakir Hussein
March 16, 2010
Morrissey
March 19, 2009
The (More Than) Honorable mentions:
Sufjan Stevens
October 30, 2015
Brian Wilson
September 28, 2016
Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue
October 3, 2016
Fiona Apple
October 28, 1997
Andrew Bird
February 24, 2018
Pixies
October 1, 2017
Brian Setzer Orchestra
November 23, 2014
Moe.
November 5, 1998
Bruce Cockburn
October 30, 1994
Experience Hendrix
November 2, 2010
Buddy Guy
April 7, 2010
Steve Vai
April 4, 2005
Lyle Lovett & His Large Band
November 12, 2009
Ray Davies
November 13, 2011
Kd Lang
March 15, 2008
Corea Clarke & White
September 25, 2009
Joe Cocker
May 5, 2009
Gov’t Mule
April 15, 2002
Aimee Mann
January 25, 2006
Esperanza Spalding
April 18, 2012
Diana Krall
April 23, 2013
John Legend
November 25, 2005
Wow, you've seen some great shows!
Many great shows….and Shawn’s Bar Mitzvah party in the atrium 🤗