BENEFIT CONCERT: LONG ON TALENT, SHORT ON AUDIENCE

Last week’s memorial concert to honor slain Saddleback College student Robbin Brandley had just about everything:

--A wealth of local talent in such up and coming bands as the Rave Ups, Fishbone, the Unforgiven and the Wild Cards.

--An outpouring of generosity from musicians and crew who donated their services toward raising money to establish a scholarship in Brandley’s memory.

--A musically diverse 10-hour concert that remained precisely on schedule throughout the day.

The only thing missing was a turnout big enough to generate a profit.

Instead of filling the college’s 2,500-seat gymnasium, as organizers had hoped, attendance peaked at around 500 for Fishbone’s 2 p.m. performance and reached only 200 or so for the headline performers later in the evening.

“The concert probably lost a little money, with the costs that we had,” said Vern Hodge, director of student development at the Mission Viejo community college. “But in terms of a benefit to honor Robbin Brandley, I think it was a huge success. People obviously enjoyed it.”

Brandley, a KSBR-FM disc jockey, was slain in January on campus following a concert that she had worked at as an usher. No arrests have been made in the case.

Considering there was a campuswide effort to promote the benefit, “I was surprised by the low turnout,” Hodge said. “It’s sad--I think people missed out on a lot of good local talent. You couldn’t beat the price ($6). It was a real bargain. Maybe concerts on community college campuses don’t work. We do not allow (alcohol), so I’m sure that had some kind of impact. But we’ve got to live within the education code.”

Promoter Kevin Lyman, a friend of Brandley who put the lineup together, was also disappointed at the response. “If this show had been in Los Angeles, it would have drawn 4,000 or 5,000 people,” he said. “When I told people all the bands that played, they couldn’t believe it. I think this is going to be one of those shows where years later, people look back in amazement that all those bands were on the same bill.”

Hodge said he is scheduled to meet with the college’s student government on Monday to discuss other ways that the scholarship might still be arranged.

“From the standpoint of what the concert was all about--to honor Robbin Brandley--I got a real good feeling from it,” Hodge said.