The Pacific Amphitheatre is an

amphitheatre An amphitheatre (British English) or amphitheater (American English; both ) is an open-air venue used for entertainment, performances, and sports. The term derives from the ancient Greek ('), from ('), meaning "on both sides" or "around" and ...

Costa Mesa Costa may refer to: Biology * Rib (Latin: ''costa''), in vertebrate anatomy * Costa (botany), the central strand of a plant leaf or thallus * Costa (coral), a stony rib, part of the skeleton of a coral * Costa (entomology), the leading edge of t ...

Orange County Orange County most commonly refers to: *Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area Orange County may also refer to: U.S. counties *Orange County, Florida, containing Orlando *Orange County, Indiana *Orange County, New ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

. The amphitheatre is located on the grounds of the

OC Fair & Event Center The OC Fair & Event Center (OCFEC) is a event venue in Costa Mesa, California. The site hosts over 150 events attracting 4.3 million visitors annually, and is home to the Orange County Fair, Centennial Farm, Costa Mesa Speedway, and Pacific Am ...

. It opened in July 1983 on the site of the model railroad building of the fairgrounds, with

Barry Manilow Barry Manilow (born Barry Alan Pincus; June 17, 1943) is an American singer and songwriter with a career that spans seven decades. His hit recordings include "Could It Be Magic", " Somewhere Down the Road", " Mandy", "I Write the Songs", " Can ...

as the first performer. On June 30, 1984, a performance at the venue by

Jefferson Starship Jefferson Starship is an American rock band from San Francisco, California, formed in 1974 by a group of musicians including former members of Jefferson Airplane. Between 1974 and 1984, they released eight gold or platinum-selling studio albu ...

was broadcast live nationwide by the ABC Rock Radio Network.

Whitney Houston Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) was an American singer and actress. Nicknamed "The Voice", she is one of the bestselling music artists of all time, with sales of over 200 million records worldwide. Houston in ...

performed at the venue on May 17, 1991, during her ''

I'm Your Baby Tonight World Tour The I'm Your Baby Tonight World Tour was a concert tour by American pop/ R&B singer Whitney Houston, in support of her multi-platinum album ''I'm Your Baby Tonight''. Prior to Houston performing two dates in Japan early-March, the official tour s ...

''. The fairgrounds are surrounded by dense residential developments, and the amphitheatre was the focus of numerous noise complaints from local residents, prior to being closed in the early 1990s. After almost a decade, it was reopened in 2003, in conjunction with the annual Orange County Fair. As part of an agreement with local residents, concerts are only held concurrently with the fair. Since its reopening, the venue rarely uses the "lawn" area, effectively reducing seating capacity from approximately 18,765 to 8,500. After further construction and improvements in 2015, the seating was reduced to 8,000. In addition to concerts, the location is the site of commencement for nearby Orange Coast College. The venue hosted the final concert of

Marvin Gaye Marvin Pentz Gay Jr., who also spelled his surname as Gaye (April 2, 1939 – April 1, 1984), was an American singer and songwriter. He helped to shape the sound of Motown in the 1960s, first as an in-house session player and later as a solo ar ...

before his death.

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

performed at Pacific Amphitheater on 28 July, 2003. Jethro Tull performed at Pacific Amphitheater on 1 August, 2003.

References

External links

OC Fair & Event Center website
{{Authority control Buildings and structures completed in 1983 Amphitheaters in California Music venues in California Buildings and structures in Costa Mesa, California Tourist attractions in Costa Mesa, California

See also

References

External links