Amphitheater to reopen for fair

The Pacific Amphitheatre in Costa Mesa, shuttered in 1993 after years of noise complaints from nearby residents, will reopen for pop and rock concerts for the first time in eight years during the expanded, 21-day run of the Orange County Fair.

To avoid the problems that plagued the facility -- once the chief area rival to Irvine Meadows (now Verizon Wireless Amphitheater) -- almost immediately upon opening in 1983, fair operators will use only the permanent seats, reducing capacity from nearly 19,000 to a little over 8,000. They expect improvements in concert sound technology to eliminate sound leakage into surrounding neighborhoods.

Among acts expected to play during the fair’s run, July 11 to Aug. 3, are Alanis Morissette, Alan Jackson, the Doors, Melissa Etheridge and a Kenny Loggins-Michael McDonald bill. Tickets for the first round of fair shows are expected to go on sale later this month, the fair’s general manager, Becky Bailey-Findley, said Monday.