A Look Back: The Ramones at Buffalo State

An all-day Springfest, capped by seeing the Ramones live?

From all accounts, it was quite a memorable day back in 1985 when local shock-rockers Green Jello (now Green Jelly) and the Ramones capped a day of fun at Buffalo State.

The exact date was May 10, 1985, the same day as Sigma Tau Gamma’s Springfest.

Alumnus Walter Klein, then a Buffalo State graduate student, was a member of Sigma Tau Gamma at the time and has fond memories of the event.

“It was the perfect day,” he said. “The weather was great, and the Ramones were fantastic.”

The concert was held in the area where the softball field is now. Klein likened the event to having Woodstock at Buffalo State.

“Springfest started early, and the Ramones ended late,” he said. “It was an all-day event.”

In a Facebook post, alumna Jo Anne Morina-Doran said it was a “fun and crazy weekend on campus.”

“I barely could see them, though I could hear them,” she said. “The football field was jam-packed with students and neighbors around campus.”

Klein, who earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in chemistry at Buffalo State before earning a doctorate in chemistry, recalls a lot of bands and performers coming to Buffalo State before they got big. That includes REM, Sinead O’Connor, and English Beat.

“I think back then, they were really progressive in bringing in bands,” he said.

For Springfest, everyone—students, staff, and faculty—joined in for grilling in the quad, and yes, beer, Klein said.

As for the Ramones, their set was perfect, Klein said.

“They were fast,” he said. “Really tight and flawless.”

It’s a day Klein will never forget.

“Memories made for a lifetime,” he said.