The Pacific Amphitheatre

I’ve always enjoyed coming here because you can spend the day at the fair and then walkaright around the corner to the concert. It’s a decent sized venue, and there’s tons of seating so the seats are all a little close together. But if you are able to get floor seats or sit towards the fron the views are hard to beat! The sound is amazing, and they have a few large screens so you can see what’s going on. Parking isn’t too bad, you park where you would park for the fair so the walk isn’t that far. I actually enjoyed the food I got here the few times I have come. Everything is pricey, but again it’s what you would pay for fair food. Security has always been nice, and getting in and out of there after shows hasn’t been a problem. Bathrooms are always kept clean as well.

Caught Echo & the Bunnymen last week. It has been years since I’ve been here (Ian Asturbury’s Gathering of the Tribes) and all I could think about was what a shame it is that there isn’t more shows here from late spring through fall. It could be a great venue, given the right weather, but there are a few things that keep the rating down. First off is the fact that the shows end at 10PM; it’s at the fairground — not immediately surrounded by a residential neighborhood. There is a massive parking lot and busy street between this place and the nearest home. Perhaps if it was strictly a Ranchera music venue there would never have been complaints. The second issue I have is with spending $ 36 for three beers… good thing I had a relatively empty stomach.

I had a blast here. I wish I could write a long review but I only remember about and hour of my time spent there. I’m not complaining it’s a good thing! They offer alcohol… But I am not a drinker… Truth is I was dancing so much I exhausted myself out and woke up this morning thinking Man I had a really good time!” I wish the seats were a little bit bigger but truth is I probably just need to get a little bit smaller! What can I say the turkey legs are awesome! They have a back standing area… This is where I spent most of my time dancing! Everybody seem to be having a good time! Take the time to check out a concert here I guarantee you will not regret it!

Great show last night with The English Beat opening for the B-52’s. Nice and small outdoor arena. Certainly a smaller venue than the Verizon Wireless. $ 12 big beers, decent security and a fair to romp through before and after the show. Good times.

My son had major leg surgery on Tuesday. The doctor said that there was no way he would feel up to making the Foghat/​Deep Purple show last night a day after the surgery. We had a wheelchair, crutches etc. His goal was to make sure that he made this show. Doc said ok if he felt up to it. It was rough. However, he made it.
The purpose of this review is to document how incredible the staff was as soon as they saw my son in a wheelchair. They were all over him and extremely accommodating way beyond our expectations. Every single member of the team put 110% effort into the situation to make sure he was comfortable and set up properly to view the show.
I just wanted to take a moment to thank everyone that helped! I will never forget it!
THANK YOU!

Went to my first concert at the Pacific Amphitheater last night! For $ 35 we had pretty good seats (Section 5, Row H, on the aisle) and admission to the fair! I thought there was really no bad seat, and I know even getting closer seats the prices were not bad. I can’t imagine it hold too many people, but I wouldn’t consider it «intimate» either. Since we went during fair season I’m not sure how parking normally is or if they even have concerts other than summer but I definitely think you get your moneys worth for their Summer Concert Series. I would recommend checking out their schedule!

Nice and fairly small venue. Saw Spandau Ballet here a few weeks ago and enjoyed the evening. Ushers and staff were friendly and professional but not too uptight. There are 2 large screens on each side of the stage which is nice. Sightlines are good and so is the sound. Some of the rows are verrrry long which makes it difficult if you are seated in the middle of that row and need to use the restroom or get a snack. However it looks like they added some additional space in between rows so your knees are not touching the seat/​person in front of you. If you have a favorite artist that will play here, definitely go!

My husband and I have been twice and we love it here! The first time we saw Weezer and had seats that were further away from the stage. Nevertheless, we still felt like they were decent seats for the price and the sound quality was outstanding. The second time we saw Huey Lewis and the News and got 4^th row orchestra seats. What a great experience! We were so close to the stage! Prices are very reasonable. If you come to an event that is part of the OC fair concert series, your ticket includes entrance to the fair! It’s like 2 events for the price of 1! They have plenty of food to choose from. There are 2 snack shops and also some food from the fair! This is an outdoor venue, so remember to pack and use lots of sunscreen in the summer!

Cancelled show was bad enough. Yes sometimes events beyond human controls happen. But how the aftermath is dealt with is in their control. Making people travel from out of town back to the box office is unprofessional and bad business practice. Tickets were not cheap either. Go see a show at different venue if you have the option.

The Pacific Amphitheater is a great venue to enjoy a summer concert outdoors. I’ve only been when the OC Fair is in session, once for comedian Jeff Dunham and more recently for 80’s glamour, romantic band: Spandau Ballet (who’s biggest US hit is «True», but they have multiple hits all over the world).
Included with my concert is admission to the OC Fair, so I arrived a few hours early to enjoy the Fair, and to get a bite to eat before the show. I also purchased the VIP Parking for $ 30 that they quickly offer on TicketMaster… as a lazy person, it was so worth the extra money. First, I don’t have to fight anyone for parking, nor do I have to circle for a spot. I enter through Gate 4, show the attendant my VIP ticket and pull up to a spot in front of the venue box office, which is a 2 minute walk to the Fair main entrance. Easy Peasy!
The seats I had were in section 2, row F, right behind the «pit» and would «normally» be considered great seats. Unfortunately, I would later find out there’s a tall guy 2 rows in front who stood for majority of the concert so 4’9″ me didn’t see a whole lot of the concert, and had to stand up for most of it.
Overall a great show. If you want to see the performer up close, its best to not go any higher than row F in the lower bowl. If you’re there just to listen and to see the jumbotron, any seat is a great seat. PLENTY of leg room.
Former KROQ DJ and 80’s guru Richard Blade opened up the show at roughly 7:45, and warmed up the crowd with 80’s trivia. At the end of the trivia, one of the answers was The Promise by the group When in Rome, when suddenly some man in sunglasses and dressed in a flashy suit appeared, making his way toward the stage. Richard exclaimed it was Clive Farrington, the former lead singer of When in Rome! He sang a few chords of The Promise and the crowd cheered.
Spandau came out moments later and gave the crowd a 90-​minute show, no intermission. The true (no pun) die hard fans were entertained with songs from the early early 80’s to their most recent release. You could tell which fans were not true die hards as they sat down and started playing with their phones.
Prices for tickets are reasonable ($ 55 per ticket, compared to the Wiltern which cost me $ 150), and you get entrance to the Fair. Thumbs up for this venue.

I was excited to see the renovations that had been done… and then totally disappointed when I got there. They built this beautiful entrance, but that’s all it is. Everything else is the same. The lines were soooo slow when the gates opened! I would rather stand in the security line at LAX!
We were really looking forward to a nice cold beer, only to find out that they ONLY sell Budweiser beers… blech! No thanks, I’ll save my $.

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YOU ROCK!!!
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Nice smaller venue with huge video screens next to the stage. It’s a great place to catch a concert!
Tons of parking. I love that it’s right here in Orange County and close to great shopping, eateries and other fun stuff to do before and after the event. I’ve been seeing bands here for amost 30 years and I always leave happy!
The only downside is that performers have to keep the volume a bit lower and also shut it down early so that the neighbors can have some peace and quiet. Enough so that I had to knock it down a star. Sorry PacAmp, it’s not your fault dude but it has to be done.
Keep on kickin’ butt and pumpin’ out great events!
CHEERS!

I’ve never been to an amphitheatre before and this venue was pretty cool. Again, thanks to Groupon, I was able to bring my kids to watch The Fresh Beat Band for only $ 16pp. I didn’t realize it was located in/​next to the OC Fair. My tickets gave us OC Fair access too. Nice!
The seats were comfy and my kids had a great time. I would definitely come back again.

The good thing about seeing a concert here during the OC Fair is that your concert ticket grants you access to the fair and you can roam the fair see the concert and then roam after. This past Fri we came to see the GoGo’s lots of 80’s fanatics in the crowd we were loving it nothing beats the 80’s music sorry youngsters lol. The last time i saw a concert here was back in 1993 and they had a lawn area in the back of the seats but now thats gone so it makes the arena smaller. The sound is ok but honestly Verizon Amp in Irvine sounds way better. But it is easy to get in and out of here compared to V. Amp in Irvine. I would def come back here to see a concert during the fair dates.

Over the years I’ve been to the OC fair a lot of times but last night was the first time I’ve set foot in their amphitheater.
First I must say it was really easy and fast to get in the venue the staff was mellow and didn’t seem to care that I brought in some fair food and my lemonade which is definitely a plus because most venues would find that to be end of the world.
Definitely eat before you come inside I mean come on your at the fair and there is a million delicious choices on the grounds and not much inside the amphitheater.
The venue is kind of in a half circle with a path leading from section 1 to section 8 the best sections to sit in would be 4 – 6 from what I can see because the stage is kinda sunk into the ground leaving you to look down on it.
The visibility from where we were in section 8 was terrible we had a hard time seeing the band and definitely couldn’t see the jumbo TV’s that they had because of a light stand blocking the view.
For this particular show we saw The Offspring & Adolescents both bands I’ve seen numerous times at various venues some huge and some small.
Every other time I’ve seen them they’ve sounded awesome but last night something just wasn’t right the sound levels were off sometimes the vocals would be too low and the drums too high not sure if this was because it was the first show they’ve had here since last fair or if its because the sound guy didn’t know what they were doing.
The venue is all seats there is no Pit/​GA area it’s only a half circle of seats similar to what you would find at a baseball stadium. Our section 8 was definitely not worth the money for the seats the view was terrible and I can imagine it is always this bad for any event here so make sure you don’t sit in this section if your coming here!

This venue is outdoors. The only time I have came here was when I came to the Good Vibes tour last August. Matisyahu, Collie Buddz and Rebelution performed that evening. What a show it was! The whole place reeked of cannabis (hey, isn’t that what makes for a better concert wink wink!!) The seating here is great. The viewing is great as well. Just bring a coat if you come to an evening show considering it gets nippy here due to the fact that it is outdoors.
Yes I will definitely be coming back if there is another good show nearing. The lighting and sounds are great. Yes the food can be quite pricey, which is why I eat before coming. During the OC Fair, this venue hosts various concerts and shows. A must to see for yourself. Parking is almost always ample.

The Pacific Amphitheatre or PacAmp as many call it is a great outdoot venue for concerts. Unfortunately in today’s life the venue is only used primarily for the OC County Fair on a yearly basis due to substantial noise complaints from the neighboring houses in the area. They are currently going through a full renovation of the grass area behind the seats as well as the entire walkway and concession areas that will be open by 2014 (if everything goes to plan). I have seen numerous good shows here from Papa Roach, Buck Cherry & Hinder to older acts such as Heart, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Blue Oyster Cult & Styx… even Weird Al was great. The sound is top notch, the lighting is good and the of all the outdoor amphitheatres out there this is still in my top three (behind Verizon Wireless in Irvine and The Greek Theatre in L.A.).
Long live Pac Amp and I hope everyone continues to support this place as a venue and that the quality of shows continue to impress as they have for me for years.

I like the venue — and we enjoy the acts that come through during the OC Fair. Sitting outdoors is just a great way to enjoy a Summer Concert.
The problem with the venue is the concessions. They need better management to make the lines move quicker. One solution would be to create a drinks only line. It is also silly not to let the people seated down low come up to short or NO lines at the top. Do they seriously think we will downgrade our seats and sit there?
But as far as sound, the view, and the atmosphere — I am a fan.

What a bitchen concert.
This was the final Wavelength concert of the weekend celebrating the 40^th anniversary of Pink Floyd’s fantastic album, «The Dark Side of the Moon».
Hosted by local rock (legend) historian and radio personality Uncle Joe Benson of 100.3FM previously he was at KLOS, 1981 – 94; KLSX, 1995 – 96; KLOS, 1996 – 97; KCBS/​fm, 1997 – 2005; and KLOS, 2005 – 13 Where his Off The Record series was the most in depth rock n roll interview shows ever. Spawning many books as well
The evening opened with 25 year old concert pianist Ayse Deniz Gokcin performing the hits of Pink Floyd on the grand piano. This Turkish born beauty hammered out some beautiful Floyd renditions on the grand piano.
Next up for the night was Pink Floyd rock tribute band Windborne featuring Zebra front man Randy Jackson who mixed up newer and older stuff from Floyds amazing catalog of music for the first half of the performance. Starting off with Learning to fly, Dogs, Hey You, On The Turning Away, Another Brick In The Wall Pt2 and finishing off windborne’s solo half of the show with an awesome version of Comfortably Numb where guitarist George Cintron and sax player Eddie Williams traded amazing solos to finish off the half to a standing ovation.

Had to make a beer run during the Intermission
The second half of the concert featured Windborne and 50 members of Pacific Symphony performing «The Dark Side of the Moon» cover to cover. All the classics from the LP’s first side; Speak to Me, Breathe, On The Run, Time and The Great Gig In The Sky
The Mix of the Floyd and the 50pc orchestra were outstanding.
They melted right into; Money, Us and Them, Any Colour You Like, Brain Damage, and finally Eclipse to make up the Dark-​side. Another standing Ovation lead to the encore and final song of the night Run.
Bridging the gap between rock n’ roll and classical music, Windborne’s conductor and arranger Brent Havens, lead vocalist Randy Jackson and their full rock ensemble captured the essence of Pink Floyd while adding new musical colors from the Pacific Symphony’s 50 piece orchestra to form a rock hybrid.
Got to hang with a few Unilocalers, Joe & Sandya and even saw Kevin.
What a great show. A more mature crowd for sure but still a little 420 action here and there. Even a couple of old school Bic lighters were hoisted high in the air. A truly magic night in Costa Mesa. Only wish I could post some video from this show.
I’ll be back

I won Unilocal tickets to the Wavelength Festival 2013: KCRW Presents Bonobo and Z-​Trip concert! I have never been to this venue so did not know what to expect! My date and I dressed up for the event. Parking was $ 7 and a huge lot which was easy. We picked up tickets at will-​call. We were starving so we came a bit early to eat before the show started.
The food:
The food was super pricey and of low quality. It was typical fair food which did not fit the atmosphere. I ordered a Steak Sandwich $ 17! He ordered a burger $ 15! Gallo Wine and Champagne was $ 8 which is grossly overpriced for such a low quality wine! My steak was overcooked and tough! The potatoes had zero flavor and the steak was burnt. His burger was overcooked and dry. The wine and champagne was a joke but we didn’t want beer so we ordered several drinks to get a nice buzz.
The atmosphere:
We got orchestra seats in the middle which was wonderful! The seats are small, stadium seating. It was half-​full the entire concert which was pretty sad. Beware, we had a very tall person who sat in front of us which sucked! The crowd was an eclectic mix from young to old, including families. Such a strange mix of people!
The music:
Interesting new genre of music. I have never heard classical music combined with electronic/​dance music but it was a sight to see! I really enjoyed Jason Bentley and Bonobo’s beats as well as the Pacific Symphony. I really wish the symphony played more since they were hanging out most of the time.
What really sucked was that the weather was so damn cold! It was such a hot day so I really didn’t dress warm. As the night ended, the weather got colder and colder! We had to drink in order to stay warm! Also, towards the end of the night, people started moving in on closer seats and were standing so it was difficult to watch the performance. Bathrooms were pretty clean which was nice. Overall a good experience with inspiring music and good vibes. I would highly recommend eating dinner beforehand and bringing a jacket/​blanket to keep warm!