Playscool Ready to Roll Out a Happening at the Arena

If you thought you already knew the difference between a nightclub and a concert experience, you haven’t attended Playscool, the twice-annual “dance-happening” presented by local entrepreneur Todd Zweig. According to the 30-year-old Zweig, who will offer the next Playscool at 8 p.m. Friday at the Sports Arena, the difference is in a program’s focus. Or, rather, the lack thereof.

“In a concert, all the attention is focused on one place,” Zweig said Monday, “but for Playscool, we divide the arena into five different rooms, each with its own live talent, whether it’s a band or a deejay. We use the downstairs Arena Club, two backstage areas, and we divide the arena’s main floor into two rooms. So, you get the nightclub experience, but it’s not limited to one environment, and it’s much more elaborately produced.”

Apparently so. Zweig claims that Friday’s happening will boast “the best laser light show San Diego’s ever seen.” He’s hired not one but three different major light show outfits to ensure it. In addition to a raft of deejays spinning the latest jams over state-of-the-art sound systems, live talent will include the bands Electric Love Hogs, Honey Glaze, House of Suffering, Polyester and Mobey, whose track “Go” recently was a big dance-chart hit.

Zweig started Playscool in 1986 with a series of weekly events at the Hotel San Diego, downtown. He was inspired by the illegal “underground” club scene in downtown L.A., characterized by ad-hoc paid-admission events in vacant storefronts and warehouses for which the promoter held no permits. Zweig, then a recent graduate of SDSU’s business administration department, sought a legal alternative in an urban atmosphere. The dance/happenings--which initially featured only prerecorded dance tracks--quickly became popular, occasionally drawing turn-away crowds of 1,000 or more.

Within a year, however, noise complaints from one person living near the hotel got the attention of the folks at the Alcoholic Beverage Control. When other logistic problems developed, Zweig took his idea to other venues, including the SOMA club downtown, the Club Mirage in Mission Valley, the Palisades Roller Rink on University Avenue and the Sports Arena.

Five years later, Playscool is a phenomenon. Zweig, who refers to the event as “the West Coast’s largest nightclub experience,” expects Friday’s 18-and-up soiree to attract more than 4,000 revelers. Tickets are $15 in advance at TicketMaster outlets and local Off the Record stores; $20 on the day of the show. For more information, call 277-PLAY.

When the rescheduling of last weekend’s Van Halen concert from Saturday to Friday resulted in some fans asking for refunds, it caused some initial confusion at TicketMaster regarding the return of service fees. Normally, the ticket agency considers the service rendered when a fan purchases a ticket at one of its many outlets, and thus, by policy, does not refund the attendant fee. But because Van Halen’s show was rescheduled through no fault of the act or the promoter (the Great Western Forum in L.A. had made a scheduling boo-boo), TicketMaster decided to include its service fee in any refund made by Avalon Attractions. (The Forum is reimbursing TicketMaster for any refunded fees.)

TicketMaster’s initial confusion caused the first few petitioners to be denied the service-fee refund, but all legitimate requests were being accommodated by Avalon’s refund deadline of 5 p.m. Tuesday. Unofficially, stragglers can ask for refunds, at the point of purchase, until noon today. For details on Van Halen’s rescheduled L.A. dates, please see F9.

ROLLIN’ AND TUMBLIN’: On the subject of the Van Halen show, I noticed a number of fans, both hands occupied by large beer cups, taking unplanned pratfalls down the stairs between seating sections. Usually, these journeys began with an almost undetectable slip, and continued with a rolling, tumbling motion interrupted only by the legs of those standing in the way (one guy picked up a nice 7-10 split of some unsuspecting bystanders).

All of which leaves me with a question: Is it really a good idea to sell beer at Van Halen concerts? Could we maybe halt beer sales after the fourth inning? Just wondering.

Recently, this column provided then-correct data regarding Carlene Carter’s concert, originally scheduled for tonight at the Belly Up Tavern. Hey, things change. It seems Carter’s current show co-features guitarist John Jorgenson, ex- of the Desert Rose Band, and it was the Jorgmeister who pushed to play at the Belly Up.

Unfortunately, Jorgenson--who last week was voted “Guitarist of the Year” for the second year in a row by the Academy of Country Music--already was booked into the Palomino in L.A. for tonight. The latest word is that the Carter-Jorgenson team might be at the Belly Up sometime in June.

BOOKINGS: (Tickets for the following concerts will be sold at all TicketMaster outlets unless otherwise specified.)

Singer-songwriter and A&M; Records artist David Wilcox will make his third San Diego appearance May 17 with a dinner-concert at Spreckels Masonic Hall (Front Street and University Avenue). A vegetarian repast will begin at 6 p.m., followed by the 8 p.m. concert, with local folk singer John Katchur opening. Admission to both dinner and concert is $28 (concert only is $16). Call 294-6660. . . . Willie Colon and his orchestra will perform a dance-concert May 21 at Iguanas (on sale at 10 a.m. today). . . . They’ve been wandering around trying to locate San Diego for years, and now Nigel Tufnel, David St. Hubbins and Derek Smalls--better known as Spinal Tap--have found it. The heavy-mental trio, whose album, “Break Like the Wind,” was just released, will play Copley Symphony Hall on June 3 (on sale at 10 a.m. Friday). . . .

Two June 5 gigs go on sale at 10 a.m. today: Dramarama at Iguanas; and the second in a series of strum-and-chat showcases at Sound FX called “The Bottom Line’s ‘In Their Own Words’ (A Bunch of Songwriters Sitting Around Singing).” This one will feature Marshall Crenshaw, Jules Shear, Don Dixon, James McMurtry and another artist to be named later. . . . Tickets for Alien Sex Fiend’s show June 12 at SDSU’s Backdoor go on sale at 3 p.m. Friday. . . . The Cult plays SDSU’s Open Air Theatre June 14 (on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday.)

CRITIC’S CHOICE: THE LADY WITH THE VOICE

In the 1940s, singer La Vern Baker toured the South--semi-successfully--under the stage name “Little Miss Sharecropper.” The next decade, however, saw the R&B; vocalist hit her stride, recording such classics of the genre as “Tweedle Dee,” “I Cried a Tear,” “Jim Dandy” and “See See Rider.”

Blessed with a big, bold voice that was nonetheless unabashedly feminine, Baker became a ranking member of Atlantic Records’ legendary stable of soul artists. Last year, Baker became only the second female vocalist to be named to the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame.

Baker will perform Thursday night at the Belly Up Tavern on a bill with local bluesman Earl Thomas. Tickets to the 8:30 p.m. show are $12.50 and can be purchased through TicketMaster or at the club, 143 South Cedros Ave., Solana Beach. For more information, call 481-9022.