Anaheim Arena Will Give Us More Industry Insiders

Bruce Springsteen and Prince did it. Madonna and Neil Diamond, too. Ditto for Garth Brooks and Pink Floyd, Dire Straits and Def Leppard, Billy Joel and Motley Crue.

What they all did, on their most recent West Coast concert tours, was look at the map of Southern California and draw a big X through Orange County.

They all played Los Angeles, and maybe San Diego, too. But they skipped the big Orange. It isn’t that these acts didn’t want our money or held a grudge against us. But their tours were indoor productions, and in Orange County, concertizing on a grand scale belongs strictly to the great outdoors.

That will change in 1993. Sometime around the middle of the year, probably in late June or early July, the Anaheim Arena will open. Its seats--up to 19,500 for concerts--will beckon any pop star with the drawing power to fill all or most of them. The next time around, the agents and managers who book concerts for Bruce, Garth and the rest of the indoor touring gang may well draw a circle around Anaheim instead of X-ing out Orange County.

It takes no great prophetic vision to see the advent of the Anaheim Arena as the biggest story on the Orange County pop horizon for 1993. Drive the Orange Freeway, glance eastward at Katella Avenue, and you can’t miss it. But the crystal ball clouds over when it comes to forecasting how busy or successful a pop venue the arena will be.

That’s because the concert marketplace in Orange County is already fiercely competitive. For the past 10 years, the Pacific Amphitheatre in Costa Mesa and Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre have been fighting a battle of outdoor giants. Their bidding wars for the hottest talents have driven up artists’ fees (and with them, ticket prices), and have cut severely into the two venues’ profit potential. While Springsteen, Prince and a few others prefer to play indoors and will look to Anaheim Arena, many more pop stars either gear tours specifically for outdoor “sheds” or are flexible about playing indoors or out.

And in sunny, temperate Southern California, the outdoors beckons in every season but winter. The amphitheater concert season in Orange County frequently has started as early as the first week in March and usually lasts as late as mid-November. That leaves Anaheim Arena with clear, competition-free sailing for only 3 1/2 months during the late fall and most of the winter--a period in which it will have to squeeze in concert dates around the schedule of a Disney-owned expansion hockey franchise that could begin National Hockey League play as early as this fall.

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“I think (the Anaheim Arena) will bring some acts that might not have played Orange County,” said Rich Meaney, who knows all about the local concert wars from his former job as a booking agent for the Nederlander Organization, which built and runs the Pacific Amphitheatre.

“They’ll be able to attract the people who only want to play indoors. Also, it’s a new building, and people like to play new buildings.” Meaney, who is now a partner in the Rhythm Cafe nightclubs, says the newness factor could give the Anaheim Arena a temporary advantage in pulling headliners away from the Pacific and Irvine Meadows.

On the other hand, he said, overhead expenses for running a show in an outdoor amphitheater are typically less than they are indoors. Arenas have more aisles and rows of seating, requiring more ushers and security people. Arenas also require more workers to set up and remove thousands of floor-level chairs, and to erect and tear down a stage for each concert. Built-in seating and built-in stages figure to give the Pacific and Irvine Meadows a built-in advantage on the bottom line.

However it plays out, it will be interesting to watch three major concert venues vie in a market where show-biz entrepreneurs have managed to create a glut of demand for a limited supply of star attractions. It also will be interesting to see whether having two buildings to book in one market proves to be a competitive advantage or just a headache for the Nederlander Organization, which, besides operating the Pacific, is a partner in the Anaheim Arena.

“I think (the competition) is going to be ugly. . . . There’s not enough room for two buildings, let alone three,” Meaney said. That’s bad for the folks who run the buildings. But if you’re just a fan who’d like to see Bruce Springsteen, Neil Diamond, or some other indoors-only attraction without having to drive to Los Angeles, the Anaheim Arena figures to be a most welcome addition.

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Another big story for 1993 will be the club-level competition between the established Coach House in San Juan Capistrano and the upstart Rhythm Cafe, which opened Oct. 31 in Santa Ana. Rhythm Cafe, which has a sister club in San Diego, is trying to prove that Orange County can support more than one all-purpose concert club. If it turns out that the two venues can share the market and stay in business, the payoff for local pop fans will be a lively competition resulting in a greater number of concert choices.

A new factor in the competition equation is this week’s personal bankruptcy filing by Coach House owner Gary Folgner. But Folgner has said the Chapter 11 filing, which protects him from creditors while he reorganizes his finances, will not affect Coach House bookings, and that the club will continue to operate as usual.

Also offering new concert-going opportunities for local pop fans will be the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts Center. The Los Angeles County venue, which opens next week with five sold-out shows by Frank Sinatra, is just over the Orange County line. With its seating capacity of up to 1,960, the Cerritos Center will probably vie for attractions with the 2,500-seat Celebrity Theatre in Anaheim. Headliners who prefer not to play in the Celebrity’s in-the-round-with-revolving-stage format can now opt to play the Cerritos Center instead. Kenny Rogers is one defector to the new building. Long a perennial on the Celebrity’s schedule, he will instead play five February dates in Cerritos.

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The coming months should witness a welcome new presence to the left of the radio dial in much of Orange County, when KUCI, UC Irvine’s student-run station, boosts its power from 24 watts to 200 watts stereo.

The station, at 88.9 FM, is now a weak signal with a severely limited range that, if you’re in your car, is apt to disappear just a few miles from the UCI campus. According to KUCI’s projections--which are admittedly guesswork until the new transmitter kicks in--the station could have strong coverage through an arc-shaped area that extends inland from southern Huntington Beach to Anaheim Hills, then back to the coast south of Laguna Beach.

Alternative rock and free-form, anything-goes radio make up about two-thirds of KUCI’s wide-ranging programming, which, among other offerings, also includes jazz, classical, world-beat music and special ethnic shows. The station should appeal to those with adventurous tastes and provide needed broadcast exposure for musicians on the local rock scene.

“In places where we’re (now) fuzzy and static-y, we should be solid and strong, and since we’re going from mono to stereo, (the sound) will be brighter,” said Kevin Stockdale, the radio station’s paid adviser. “It’ll be easier to pick up on car stereos and portable radios. . . . As for how far we (reach), the truest test is when we flip it on and test it.” Depending on how long it takes to install new equipment, Stockdale said, KUCI could begin broadcasting at 200 watts by late February. A large-scale benefit concert could be on the agenda for ‘93, as the station seeks to pay for the power upgrade, which will cost about $85,000 to $90,000.

The coming year could determine whether hopes for an annual concert tribute to the late Leo Fender will reach fruition. The Fullerton electric-guitar maker, who died in 1991 of complications of Parkinson’s disease, had a greater influence on the course of pop music than any other figure from Orange County. Last spring, Fender’s widow, Phyllis, announced plans for a January, 1993, concert that would launch a series of annual shows in Orange County to benefit a Newport Beach-based charity, the Parkinson’s Educational Program.

The date has been pushed back indefinitely, as concert planners continue to seek a major headliner for the tribute show. Gerald Ishibashi, the local concert promoter engaged to coordinate the project, said recently that he is optimistic about landing a name performer to headline a Fender benefit sometime this year.

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As always, the year will find musicians from the local scene trying to make their mark in the wider world with new record releases.

The major-label contingent begins with D.D. Wood, whose debut album of countrified pop, “Tuesdays Are Forever,” is due out Jan. 19 on Hollywood Records. “Let’s Get Started,” the second album by dance-pop singer Louie Louie, is scheduled for release Feb. 9 on Reprise. The Muffs’ debut album on Warner Bros. is tentatively set for release April 13. Also look for a debut release by Vicki Calhoun on Chrysalis Records. No Doubt, whose debut album appeared last year on Interscope, is shooting to put out another album for the label in the second half of ’93.

Vinnie James, the Huntington Beach folk-rocker who issued a strong debut album, “All-American Boy,” in 1991, says he has finished a follow-up, tentatively titled “Truce.” But, having recently negotiated his release from his contract with RCA Records, James’ first order of business for ’93 will be to find a new record deal. “Bet This Is Love,” a ballad from the album, has been picked to run under the closing credits of an upcoming feature film, “Aspen Extreme.” James is also writing songs and incidental music for “The Chili Con Carne Club,” starring Kristi Swanson, the Orange County-raised actress who played the lead in “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.”

Also on the film-and-music front, 1993 should see the release of “The Bitter End,” the first feature by director Bill Henderson. The Seal Beach resident has been a longtime presence on the local rock scene, first as percussionist in the early-’80s rock band, Q16, and subsequently as a director of rock videos. David Carradine stars, along with local rocker Joe Wood. Also appearing is Matt Sorum, the Guns N’ Roses drummer who played with Henderson in Q16.

Another local rocker/actor turning up on the big screen will be Andrew Lowery, who received good reviews last year for supporting roles in “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “School Ties.” Lowery will play his first lead in the title role of “Johnny Zombie,” a fantasy romance due out in April from Touchstone Pictures. Soon after that, Standard Fruit, the band that features Lowery as guitarist and main songwriter, will issue its debut album on Ellis Island Records, a new label being launched by its manager, longtime O.C. indie-rock impresario Sam Lanni.

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Look for a steady stream of releases by local rockers on independent labels. Doctor Dream Records will issue a series of seven-inch vinyl singles, including new ones by the Swamp Zombies and the Cadillac Tramps. Both bands also are scheduled to issue new albums in ‘93; the Tramps’ release may be a live album. The second album from Joyride, which debuted with one of the best local albums of 1992, is also on Doctor Dream’s schedule for ’93.

Also returning with live albums will be the Vandals, whose “Sweatin’ to the Oldies” will be culled from the show the band played last Saturday at the Ice House in Fullerton. The Vandals’ label, Triple X Entertainment, also will release a long-form video of the performance. Other O.C. albums in the offing from Triple X are a live release from punk band D.I., and “Turtle,” a solo album by Rikk Agnew, a former member of D.I. and the Adolescents. The Vandals and Dramarama, another band with O.C. connections, will turn up with tracks on a Triple X tribute to Alice Cooper due out in April.

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Stab You in the Back Records, a fledgling alternative-rock label from Costa Mesa, is readying an album called “Harbor Blvd--The Compilation,” patterned after “Beach Blvd,” an influential early-’80s compilation of local punk rock. Big Drill Car, Electric Cool-Aide, the Goods, Naked Soul, and Fluf will be among those featured. Stab You in the Back is also offering “3 in the Hole,” an upcoming CD compilation of singles by the Goods, the Women and the Get-backs (the latter two also have separate, just-released vinyl singles).

Bazooka, the fine rock ‘n’ bop instrumental trio, offers “Perfectly Square,” its first album for SST Records, on March 16. Bazooka also will team with Long Beach rock singer Jack Brewer for a ’93 album release on New Alliance Records. Also look for an independently produced solo album from Chad Jasmine, former singer of National Peoples Gang.

Pop-rocker Peter Shambrook has a new album, “Love Unseen,” due March 25 on the Orange County-based Christian label, Frontline. Other local rockers expected to issue albums this year on Frontline and its subsidiaries include Mad at the World, Liaison and Rose. Also look for a new Frontline album in the summer from former O.C. resident Rick Elias.

Unsigned local alternative-rock bands to watch in 1993: One Hit Wonder, Standard Fruit, Eli Riddle.

Unsigned local veterans who deserve record deals in 1993: Walter Trout Band, Richard Stekol, Jann Browne.

Daring Predictions for 1993

* If the Clinton presidency prospers, a boom in saxophone sales. If it falters, a boom in Arkansas jokes. Gratis stock-market tip: if the former, invest in companies that manufacture earplugs.

* The Anaheim Mighty Ducks or whatever they’ll wind up being named--if it were up to me, they’d be called the Anaheim Hockey Pucks--will go winless in their first season in the National Hockey League. When Canadian rocker Bryan Adams plays the Anaheim Arena, his road crew will challenge the Hockey Pucks to a match. For once, the home team will win, but it will be close.

* The Ku Klux Klan will issue an achievement award to Sinead O’Connor for her special contribution to Catholic-bashing, a cause long cherished by the Klan.

* By that time, however, O’Connor will have entered an order of nuns. Her sudden conversion will be brought on by a religious vision in which Jesus, Moses, Mohammed, Buddha, Joan of Arc, Pope John XXIII, John Lennon, Bob Marley, Elvis Presley and Sally Field as the Flying Nun will appear before her as a chorus line singing the words, “Grow up and get a life” to the tune of “The Farmer in the Dell.” The order she joins will be one that normally doesn’t require a vow of silence, but in Sinead’s case it will make an exception.