Blasts from past top fair’s music lineup

James Meier

COSTA MESA -- The macho men are coming to town.

Now in their 23rd year of performing such disco hits “YMCA,” “In the

Navy” and “Macho Man,” the Village People will hit the Arlington Theater

stage at the Orange County Fair on July 15. The six guys known for their

Native American, G.I., biker, construction worker, cop and cowboy

costumes will be but one of the acts performing on 17 consecutive nights.

The fair, themed “Twist and Shout -- Celebrate Citrus and Sun,” will

kick off July 13 with the man who made “The Twist” an international

sensation. Performing for more than 40 years, Chubby Checker has sold

more than 250 million albums and will open the concert series.

Fewer people will have the opportunity to see Checker, the Village

People and the other performers this year because the fair has changed

things a bit.

Instead of shows at 7 and 9 p.m., only one show will be held nightly

at the Arlington Theater. Each show, however, will host 9,000 guests

rather than the previous 6,200, said Steve Beazley, the fair’s deputy

general manager. Of those 9,000 seats, 1,600 will serve as reserved

seating, which will cost $10 each. That way, people trying to get a great

seat to see their favorite bands and acts can avoid waiting in line,

Beazley said.

“I think it’s a program that will draw a lot of patrons,” Beazley said

of the Orange Circle program, as it’s been dubbed. “We found through

surveys done in the past two years, in particular, that our patrons would

prefer reserved seating. So, it’s more out of customer convenience.”

The remaining seats will still be free with paid admission, he said.

And there’s another advantage to staging just one performance nightly.

“We hit a ceiling before because there were some performers who only

wanted to perform one show and not two,” he said.

The move didn’t make any difference this year in drawing acts, but

that doesn’t mean it won’t help in the future, he said.

For the most part, Beazley said, it shouldn’t matter too much that

fewer seats will be available overall.

“The 9 p.m. Tuesday shows and those weekday shows weren’t packed

anyway,” he said.

If, for whatever reason, shows do sell out and patrons are left

outside the gates, they won’t necessarily be unable to see the show from

afar, Beazley pointed out. Two large screens will be set up alongside the

stage and will probably be tilted so those outside can see them, he said.

In bringing acts to the fair, officials focus on variety to please

everyone, Beazley said.

So, joining the Village People and Checker will be Three Dog Night,

REO Speedwagon, Hall and Oates, Tanya Tucker, Lee Greenwood, Billy Ray

Cyrus, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, the Isley Brothers, En Vogue, David

Clayton-Thomas with Blood, Sweat and Tears, Gallagher, Billy Dean, Suzy

Bogguss, John Berry, Carman, ZOEgirl, Yesterday, and actor Dennis Quaid

and his band, the Sharks.

Checker, the Isley Brothers and Yesterday, a Beatles tribute band,

will lend well to the “Twist and Shout” theme, Beazley noted. The Isley

Brothers wrote and first performed the song, which the Beatles then

covered. And, of course, Checker popularized “The Twist” with that song

and his follow-up “Let’s Twist Again.”

The fair will be held July 13 to 29 at the Orange County Fairgrounds,

88 Fair Drive, Costa Mesa.

For more information, call (714) 708-1928.