Fair goes big for bands

Lolita Harper

In a time of belt tightening around the state, Orange County Fair

officials have planned a gluttonous concert series -- starting

tonight -- and are spending $5.8 million to bring in big-name bands

and state-of-the-art productions.

Fair officials increased their entertainment budget by $4.8

million, or 551%, this year, to take advantage of the newly renovated

Pacific Amphitheatre. The total is a dramatic increase from last

year’s $1.05-million budget. Last year, the fair spent $715,000 to

acquire talent and about $300,000 for production, compared to this

year’s budget of $5 million and $800,000, respectively. Tonight’s

opening act, Diana Krall, alone cost $450,000.

Although the fair is a state entity, it is run independently of

the state general fund, said Steve Beazley, the fair’s deputy general

manager. When the fair makes money, it keeps it, and when it loses

money -- which has not happened recently -- they eat it. Beazley said

officials are optimistic the increased budget will balance itself.

“The event this year -- with all that’s new and the buzz that

surrounds it -- is positioned to do very well,” Beazley said.

The fair has a “break-even” plan that balances the amount paid to

book the talent and production costs against ticket prices. Beazley

said fair officials were trying to keep ticket prices as low as

possible, while trying to make sure the concerts didn’t lose money.

The average cost, depending on location, for a show this year is

between $20 and $90 -- compared to $10 last year. This year, concert

tickets include fair admission, when in years past that was not the

case.

The plan requires 21 shows, playing every night of the week but

Mondays, to sell at least 85% of tickets to break even, he said.

LAST-MINUTE HOPES

Beazley said the strategy depends largely on “walk-up” sales.

According to presale totals as of Wednesday, the shows are on a

“break-even pace,” he said. Beazley could offer no concrete numbers

or figures to support that assertion, but said sales are “right where

we thought they would be.”

“Some of our shows still have almost a month to sell, so we can’t

really judge their presale levels right now,” Beazley said. “We are

tracking for that break-even point. The reason I can’t answer

definitively is because there is no formula. ... It certainly is not

science.”

If a show has sold 50% of its seats in presale tickets, it will

most likely break even, he said. Krall has sold 50%, and Duran Duran

is sold out. The biggest variable is whether fair-goers will shell

out $30 to $90 at the door.

“We have to wonder if everyone who was interested in seeing a

certain band bought their tickets before hand, or if there are more

spur-of-the-moment fans out there,” Beazley said.

Spontaneous aficionados can expect more than an impromptu concert

at the newly renovated Pacific Amphitheatre. The shows at the

8,500-seat venue are “full-blown” concerts, he said -- the same shows

performed on tour. The major difference is that the shows are more

complex, Beazley said. The shows require more money, more production

and more negotiation to get the big names at a county fair.

PLAYING OFF THE AMPHITHEATER

Some people have criticized the fair for getting in over its head

in the entertainment industry and paying way too much for headlining

bands. Beazley said officials did a lot of research to know how much

to pay.

A talent buyer was hired to research the going rates of various

artists. The buyer analyzed past performances in the market and gross

sales at other venues, he said. Beazley admits bands have to be wooed

to play at fairs -- which usually denote a stage in the middle of an

arena right after a rodeo -- but said the Pacific Amphitheatre was a

huge selling point.

“What really helps is that most of these bands played the Pacific

Amphitheatre, or remember it when it was open,” Beazley said.

Residents of College Park and Mesa del Mar remember the

amphitheater also and were wary of its revival.

College Park resident Patrick Clark led the opposition to the

concert locale, saying no matter how they reconfigure the

amphitheater, the noise will still be unbearable.

“It was a mistake 10 years ago, and it’s a mistake now,” Clark

said.

Beazley said residents will most likely be surprised by how little

noise escapes the new venue. With new sound technology, designed to

aim noise at the audience instead of releasing it into the

neighborhood, neighbors should be able to get a good night’s sleep.

* LOLITA HARPER writes columns Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and

covers culture and the arts. She may be reached at (949) 574-4275 or

by e-mail at lolita.harper@latimes.com.