Tough act to follow

Lolita Harper

Entertainment at the Orange County Fair this year was ripe, rockin’

and in the red.

Big-name concerts in the newly renovated Pacific Amphitheatre at

the 2003 fair failed to pay for themselves, showing a preliminary

paper loss of about $565,000, said Becky Bailey-Findley, the fair’s

general manager. Ticket sales brought in $4.2 million of the $5

million paid to book the acts.

Revenues from merchandise and food have not been counted in to the

total and the fair’s total expenses at the amphitheater have not been

tabulated, either. Fair officials collected only 64% of potential

ticket revenue, falling short of their goal of 85%.

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

the entertainment industry and paying way too much for headlining

bands. Steve Beazley, the fair’s deputy general manager, said

officials did a lot of research to know how much to pay, but could

not control every variable in the equation.

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 was 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 for talent and $800,000 for production.

Opening act Diana Krall alone cost $450,000.

The fair had a “break-even” plan designed to balance the amount

paid to book the talent and production costs against ticket prices.

Fair officials were trying to keep ticket prices as low as possible,

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

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

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

concert tickets included fair admission; last year, they did not.

UNHAPPY WITH CHANGE

The change left many complaining about the high prices, saying

what used to be a quaint county fair has turned into an expensive

outing. With over-priced food, rides and now concerts, many people

simply could not afford to go to the fair more than once -- or at

all.

Costa Mesa resident Patty Van Pelt said she was disappointed with

the entertainment at this year’s fair. She and a group of her

girlfriends make it a point to attend the fair every year, usually

about seven or eight times in the two weeks it is here. “The girls”

make it a point to hit up opening night, check out the digs and see

what kind of free concerts they can score.

With the opening of the Pacific Amphitheatre, and ticket prices

quadrupling, Van Pelt could only find free entertainment in Arlington

Theater.

“It was the pits,” she said. “A really big disappointment. I am

happy to see the Pacific Amphitheatre open, but I didn’t realize

there would be no other quality entertainment. We went once and had

no desire to go back.”

Others, such as Costa Mesa resident Christopher Spence, did not

mind paying full concert price for a full concert experience. Spence

saw 3 Doors Down on Thursday and said it was great to have real

entertainment in his backyard.

Officials tried to give their customers the best names in

entertainment, without having to subsidize those A-list acts with

revenues from the rest of the fair, Bailey-Findley said. Ticket

prices were set not to make a profit, but to make sure the concerts

paid for themselves, she said.

“It was a significant departure to how we have presented things in

the past,” Bailey-Findley said.

WAITING FOR THE REFRESHMENTS

For the break-even plan to work, fair officials needed to sell 85%

of the seats at 21 concerts. They ended up selling 64%, coming up

about $565,000 shorter than expected.

Bailey-Findley said the final numbers for expenses and revenue

have not been calculated, but acknowledged that ticket sales alone

did not cover the cost of A-list bands. Revenue from merchandise,

food and drink have not been factored in.

“We still think it was successful in terms of the investment that

we made in remodeling,” she said. “And we spent quality dollars on

production to make sure we had a quality sound system and did not cut

any corners.”

Fair officials also learned what can be changed for the future.

“We do have things we want to refine,” Bailey-Findley said.

She wants to be responsive to fairgoers such as Van Pelt who don’t

want to pay high prices. Bailey-Findley suggested having a few A-list

entertainers with pricey tickets available and still showcasing some

“that are just fun and more typical of a fair experience.”

* 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.