‘SCENE’ CONCERTS : GOOD TIMES RUN LATE AT THE BEACH

On paper, the Beach Scene Festival on Saturday and Sunday at San Pedro’s Cabrillo Beach looked to be a music lover’s dream.

A lineup including national and international stars (Icehouse, El DeBarge, Art of Noise and Sparks), local favorites (Fishbone, the Rave-Ups and Billy & the Beaters) and a few acts that fit into both categories (Belinda Carlisle and David Lee Roth) offered something for pop fans of just about every stripe.

On sand, the festival turned out to be slightly less than the sum of its parts--but just slightly.

With four simultaneously active stages spread over a fairly large area it was hard to catch everything you might want to see.

Perhaps just two stages and fewer acts would have been better, though that might not have been enough to satisfy the large crowds (an estimated 75,000 Saturday, and a larger figure predicted for Sunday).

In addition, each stage ran well behind schedule Saturday, making it virtually impossible to keep track of when a certain band might take its turn.

To some in attendance, though, these were not problems. Jody Ant and Michael Angelo Sweeney, both 16 and from Torrance, came Saturday for one reason only: to see Carlisle, whose set with Duran Duran guitarist Andy Taylor closed the first day.

The pair arrived at 8 a.m., wandered around during the day and then made their way up to the front of the stage at mid-afternoon, unconcerned that, with activity on the main Bayside stage 90 minutes behind schedule, it would be a long wait for Carlisle.

Those wanting to see Jermaine Stewart also had to wait, as transportation problems caused him to miss even a delayed set time. Ultimately, Missing Persons switched slots with him, confusing fans of both acts.

Otherwise, there were few hitches. All anyone had to worry about was having enough suntan lotion while enjoying the music. And good music there was.

San Pedro’s own Firehose, the offspring of the Minutemen, opened the festival with a hot set of neo-punk artiness--though what the mainstream-oriented crowd drawn by radio station KIIS-FM’s sponsorship thought of it is unclear.

Among the most-appreciated performers Saturday was Device, a new band formed by songwriter/musician Holly Knight. The slick set showed that Knight, who has written hits for Tina Turner (“You Better Be Good to Me”), Pat Benatar (“Invincible”) and others, is ready for stardom herself.

Icehouse had worse problems to overcome, as leader Iva Davies brought a case of bronchitis with him from the group’s wintry Australian base. Davies also expressed concern that Icehouse’s dark-toned music might have been out of place in this setting.

“It doesn’t really make sense when the sun’s streaming down and everyone’s happy,” he said backstage after the band’s set. Nonetheless, he proved a lively, personable performer, playing well off the exuberant though generally well-behaved crowd.

The sextet’s music seemed less adventurous than it does on record, but a steady Roxy Music-like groove and Davies’ Bryan Ferry/David Bowie-ish voice kept things moving. The show kicked off a monthlong U.S. tour for the group, which also plays Tuesday at the Palace.

Other highlights included a typically hyperkinetic performance by Fishbone complete with a small clutch of slam-dancers in front of the stage, a tight, dynamic half-hour from the Rave-Ups, and an incongruously ethereal set from the Art of Noise, featuring Duane Eddy raising the surf with his twangy “Peter Gunn.”

Absent was any evidence of the controversy surrounding KIIS’s sponsorship of the Beach Scene and its failed attempt to secure exclusive rights to such promotions and become the “official” station of Los Angeles’ beaches. Consensus among both the artists and festival staff was that the station had done a good job in organizing the event.

On the evidence of its first day, the Beach Scene Festival looks like a good bet to join the successful Street Scene, held downtown each fall, as an annual event.