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 ...
in
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 th ...
,
Orange County,
California. The amphitheatre is located on the grounds of the
OC Fair & Event Center. 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 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 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
Orange Coast College (OCC) is a public community college in Costa Mesa in Orange County, California. It was founded in 1947, with its first classes opening in the fall of 1948. It provides Associate of Art and Associate of Science degrees, cer ...
.
The venue hosted the final concert of
Marvin Gaye 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.
See also
*
List of contemporary amphitheatres
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