Dr. Fishbein Tends His First Love : Music: A physician who grew up with rock ‘n’ roll fulfills a dream by playing to a crowd at Irvine Meadows.

Howard Fishbein grew up to be a family doctor, but he always yearned for the flashy life of a rock ‘n’ roll star.

“Some people want to be football heroes or great actors. Me, I wanted to be a Beatle,” Fishbein said of the inspiration that helped him form his own rock band, Dr. Rock, five years ago.

“But I’m practical. Rock music may be my first love, but I figured Dr. Rock would never do much more beyond the Irvine Harvest Festival. It’s just something fun that we try to do on the weekends.”

Last Sunday, the practical Dr. Fishbein was tossed aside and the doctor’s ultimate rock dream became a reality when the six-member Dr. Rock band played before about 900 people at the Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre during a 39th-birthday party-concert planned by his wife, Linda Lee.

Performing at a place like Irvine Meadows “has been his biggest fantasy,” Lee said. “It was a choice between this, a condo in Mammoth or a trip to the Orient. I knew he wanted this more than anything.”

She declined to say what it cost her to rent Irvine Meadows for the night, except to say that “you can buy an American car for what we spent.”

Like millions of other would-be rockers, the Chicago-born Fishbein was reared on rock music from the 1960s and 1970s. Added to that was the childhood piano and guitar lessons, and Fishbein found himself playing music all through college, medical school, marriage and parenthood.

As he matured, Fishbein said, he left behind his “radical hippie” past to earn a living and pursue his goal of helping people with medicine. But he never forgot his music and continued playing the keyboards whenever he could.

“Being a doctor and healing people is quite rewarding, but it can also be quite hectic putting in long hours listening to everyone’s problems,” Fishbein said. “Rock music is a way for me to unwind. It’s a real stress reducer to play these songs.”

Shortly after Fishbein came to Orange County in 1979, he began playing with several other doctors . The band members changed, and eventually Fishbein got some musicians from a couple of bands to join together in 1985. Dr. Rock was born.

“We’ve gotten older, but the tunes remain the same,” Fishbein said. “Of course, we play newer material too, the Top 40 stuff and also some of our own songs.”

Sunday’s concert came about because Lee had decided nearly a year ago to do something special for her husband’s 39th birthday. “He already said he was going to be too depressed for his 40th birthday, so I figured if we were ever going to go big time with Dr. Rock, it had better be soon.”

Contacting Irvine Meadows to make the arrangements was easy, Lee said, because her husband has been the volunteer, on-call doctor for the amphitheater’s events since 1985.

“I thought they would think I’m crazy and never go for the idea,” Lee recalled. “But they did.”

Lee said she sprang the idea on her husband in June as the couple celebrated their 12th wedding anniversary. “It was one of the few times I’ve ever seen him speechless,” she said.

From June to September, Fishbein said, he had trouble concentrating on anything but the show.

“It’s only the most important performance of my life, so there’s no reason to worry,” Fishbein joked. “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that kinda scares the hell out of me.”

After weeks of nervous anticipation, the day of the big event arrives.

By 3 p.m., the band members are backstage, slowly walking around to absorb the flavor of the 80-foot-wide-by-60-foot-deep stage.

Drummer Tim Byron, 43, of Mission Viejo has already set up his drums as the others haul out their instruments. There had been some concern that Byron, a South County podiatrist who is also a lieutenant colonel in the Army Reserves, might not make the show because of the Middle East situation.

Byron’s eyes flash wide at the suggestion. “I told them (the band) not to worry,” he says while twirling his drumsticks. “I wouldn’t miss this for anything.”

Stagehands are busily testing the lights and sound mixers. Cables and wires are being taped down and backdrops are raised under the watchful gaze of Joe Barry, Irvine Meadows stage manager.

By 4:30 p.m., the band is whisked away to the amphitheater’s front entrance marquee by the video crew that Lee hired to record the event. They spend the next hour mugging for the camera with antics recalling the old Monkees television show.

Lee Offenhauer, 39, of Orange, the band’s lead guitarist and sax player, gets caught up in the action and ponders the possibilities of quitting his regular job as a graphic artist.

Rhythm guitarist Ben Sevilla, 40, of Laguna Niguel, a project administrator for an engineering company, advises Offenhauer against the idea.

“It’s only for tonight,” he says. “We turn back into pumpkins tomorrow.”

Back on stage, the band prepares for its sound check and a quick practice session.

At 6 p.m., the reality of what is happening finally sinks in for lead singer Jackie Curran, 35, of Huntington Beach.

“Not bad for a weekend garage band,” says Curran, executive director of the Huntington Beach Free Clinic. “This is really high-class stuff.”

About 30 minutes before the concert is set to begin, the band members circulate among the crowd of picnickers still enjoying their pre-concert dinner.

Fishbein searches the crowd for his parents, Marvin and Selma Fishbein, who have flown out from Chicago for the show.

The crowd--young and old, friends, patients and co-workers, and many who heard by word-of-mouth--is getting restless as the time nears 8:15 p.m. Some begin chanting “Doc-tor Rock. Doc-tor Rock.” Others howl and hold up lit cigarette lighters.

The stage manager checks his watch: “OK, come on, let’s do it. It’s show time,” Barry barks.

Seconds later, Fishbein and Lee walk on stage and spend the next 13 minutes with opening greetings. The other band members anxiously wait in the wings.

As Lee exits, the band members walk on stage, beginning with an appropriate opening tune, “Don’t Fall,” written by the 31-year-old bass player, Bill Black. In all, the band will play five original songs during its 23-song performance.

The band is loud, but not too loud. The beat is good. In fact, the band is doing pretty darned well, one of the veteran stage hands admits.

At 8:45 p.m., dancing erupts in the crowd as the band plays “Sultans of Swing.”

The band’s rendition of “Money for Nothing” at 9:28 p.m. brings the crowd to its feet and wins the loudest applause of the night. Sweaty band members exchange smiles.

At 10:45 p.m., the show ends. The crowd yells for more. The band returns for two more songs, ending, ironically, with the Stones’ “You Can’t Always Get What You Want.”

Fifteen minutes later, the backstage area is packed with well-wishers. Everyone receives hugs and kudos.

“I don’t want this to end,” Fishbein yells. “No doubt about it. This is the best birthday I’ve ever had or will have. God, I want to stay here all night.”