Deirdre NewmanThe sleeping giant of the Pacific...

Deirdre Newman

The sleeping giant of the Pacific Amphitheatre is coming back to

life, but Orange County Fair officials are taking measures to ensure

that its ferocious roar is replaced with a more palatable wail.

The amphitheater, which went silent in 1995 because of legal

issues over noise, is being refurbished for its debut at the fair

this summer. It will provide the “rockin’” part of the fair’s theme

-- “Red, Ripe and Rockin.’”

Because noise wiped out the amphitheater before, fair officials

have taken steps to keep the sound below the 55 decibel level in the

Mesa del Mar neighborhood mandated by a court injunction.

“We want the first season to be an asset to the community and not

a negative,” said Steve Beazley, the fair’s deputy general manager.

The half-million-dollar refurbishment includes replacing the backs

of the 8,500 seats, painting the theater, remodeling the production

office and building new dressing rooms.

To pump down the volume, management hired a sound engineer to

conduct studies and write specifications for the system to adhere to

the noise restrictions.

The engineer designed the system to project the sound to the very

last seat and not a wavelength beyond, Beazley said.

“It’s like the difference of a floodlight versus a spotlight,”

Beazley said. “Especially for our neighbors, that’s important.”

The sound engineer will meet with the bands in the morning to

establish a relationship with them and will also be entrusted with

monitoring the sound during the concerts, with the authority of

stopping the music if it gets too loud.

The bands -- which include big-name acts like the Doors -- are

fully aware of the kinder, gentler sound system and 86 decibel

average target at the top of the grassy area of the amphitheater,

said Becky Bailey-Findley, the fair’s general manager. There have not

been any negative responses so far, she said.

The fair will not sell any lawn tickets and won’t use speakers

above the top row of seats, Bailey-Findley added.

The concert tickets will include fair admission, and the only way

to get to the amphitheater will be through the fair, to give a sense

of “an event within an event.”

To enhance the drama of the re-opening, staff will create a

Hollywood-type sign on the hill above the amphitheater. One of the

buildings leading to the amphitheater, which housed the Creature

Features exhibit last year, will now present the history of the

Orange County music scene.

Officials made a conscious decision to re-open the amphitheater

during the fair so fairgoers could be the first to enjoy it, Beazley

said. Management is proud of the fair board’s decision to upgrade

most of the existing infrastructure so it didn’t have to start from

scratch and to use mostly fair employees on the project.

“There’s something organic about what we’re doing, instead of like

unveiling a new statue,” Beazley said.

The refurbished amphitheater is expected to be ready to rock and

roll in June.

The spiffed-up look has been instrumental in attracting top name

acts to the fair, Beazley said. Steely Dan is kicking off its concert

tour to promote its new album at the fair.

Although officials have no plans to use the amphitheater when the

fair is over, they foresee it being used by community groups. To that

end, they invited performing arts groups in the community to forums

and workshops to get their feedback, Bailey-Findley said.

“The facility needs to be flexible enough to handle top-quality

concerts and ballet performances,” Bailey-Findley said. “Those

details haven’t been worked out yet.”

During the fair, free concerts will be offered in the grandstand

area.

* DEIRDRE NEWMAN covers Costa Mesa and may be reached at (949)

574-4221 or by e-mail at [email protected].