I'm always looking for an experience, and I'm happy to say I officially kicked off my summer at the Pacific Amphitheatre with UB40. I've been listening to this band since the '90s, so hearing them live was such a fun nostalgic night. Of course everybody gets older, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that... let's just say maybe Dispatch should now be called UB80. Bad joke, but it had to be done. let's face it. That's the dream to do what you love till you're dying day. I'm down for that. I'm definitely that girl. I'll go see you No matter what age if I love you! I love this outdoor amphitheater. The tickets were very reasonably priced, the atmosphere was relaxed, and it felt like the perfect starter concert to set the summer off right. I'm already planning my return for Sugar Ray and English Beat on July 23.A little tip: if you drink, the venue advertises cocktails, but it's mostly canned beverages. I'm sober so it didn't matter to me, but good to know ahead of time. Also bring cozy clothes because it definitely got chilly once the sun went down.Overall, such a great summer vibe and an easy five stars from me. read more

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This is a great venue - not too big and great acoustics. The reason I'm giving 3 stars is the very poor signage and customer service. We walked into the fair area and our tickets were scanned. No one mentioned where to go for the concert until we tried to enter the door area of the venue where a guard told us to exit and go left. No where was there any signs that said no entry go to blank. No wonder I love the Hollywood Bowl. Unless some band I love comes here this is the last time I come here read more

I attended my first concert at this venue and I was impressed. Everything about this concert experience was positive and fun. From the parking which was seventy-five steps to the main gate (we arrived two hours before show time), to the smooth entrance via the X-ray machine, the friendly employees, the easy access to the restroom, snack bar, souvenir booth and finally to our seats inside the venue. Everything was a smooth as can be when attending a concert. We only had kettle corn and even that was delicious. The sound here is AMAZING!! The view was perfect and the seats though hard, were comfortable. 8,000 seat venue is the prefect size to catch a concert and my family and I will definitely be returning here in the future read more

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This venue is very spacious and we enjoyed our concert. This was our eldest daughter's first concert experience and it did not diss appoint. Aloe blacc + Fitz and the tantrums are who we saw. Both acts were so entertaining, especially the gracious and very kind aloe blacc whom we got to meet afterward. I'd come here again for another concert! read more

The Pacific Amphitheatre - Music Venues Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

Great venue for concerts! Been to one so far here and great sound. Love the outdoors. The restrooms were fairly clean as well. Overall, good venue. read more

Went to my first concert at The Pacific Amphitheatre and was pleasantly surprised. It was much easier to park and leave, compared to other outdoor venues like the Hollywood Bowl and the Greek Theatre. Parking is $15 on the fairgrounds, but you can also park across the street at Orange Coast College for $10 (pay for parking on a website or app). Considering how much they charge in LA for parking, it's a bargain. Staff did a great job keeping the aisles clear, efficiently notifying people to return to their seats. We were at the end of a row, but some of the rows are very long, which require you to walk by a lot of people. The line for the women's restroom moved very quickly and the facilities were clean. Sound was great. I guess they must have a curfew because the concert ended exactly by 10pm, with no encores. Admission to the OC Fair (if it's going on) is included with your ticket. I'm not a county fair person, but it was interesting to check out before the concert. Would happily see another concert at the Pacific Amphitheatre! read more

The Pacific Amphitheatre - Ozomatli - Music Venues Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

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Cool venue didnt know this was here. A good walk from parking lot to entrance. Outdoor stage area hosted cocktail hour pre show. Will call tickets were ready and waiting when we arrived. read more

The Pacific Amphitheatre - Music Venues Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

Every few years I attend a concert here and remember why I don't come back more often. The sound system is not great. I will say that the sound wasn't an issue when we came to see Trevor Noah here but if you're coming to see a band it's 50/50 on whether the sound engineer will get the audio right. That being said, shows here are affordable and it's easy to get in and out of the venue. Concession and restroom lines aren't crazy long and like I mentioned in my review from 2008 the crowds are still "interesting" different from 2008 but still quite interesting : ) read more

I went to the Beck/Pacific Symphony concert on 6/30. The opener was like no one I've ever seen before. A professional whistler. She was great! I loved seeing something new and the acoustics are fantastic. It was so easy buying tickets, the outdoor venue has a great vibe. The rows are just a pinch too narrow to make it easy for people to walk past you (we were stepped on a few times even though we did our best to get our feet out of the way). Oh yeah! Checking in was a breeze. read more

The Pacific Amphitheatre - Molly Lewis (whistler) - Music Venues Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

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We went to a John Fogerty concert a couple weeks after the OC Fair ended so I can't comment about the parking situation while the fair is going on. We had no issues getting in/finding parking but it does cost $15/car. The venue is pretty small, but that's what makes the ticketes affordable. Our tickets cost $55 off the site that pacific ampitheatre linked me to. Inside there are some tents for food/beverages and merchandise. Bathrooms are easily accessible. I highly recommend looking for tickets linked directly to the pacific ampitheatre site to avoid high resale ticket pricing. https://pacamp.com/ The best part aside from the performing artist was the farm dog who listens to the shows for free. You can meet the white labrador on the hill opposing the stage. Apparently there are goats and alpacas on top and you might see them as well! Great venue, accessible, close to the freeway and local. read more

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Had an awesome time watching the Stray Cats, a rockabilly band from the 80's. And although summer's in full swing, a huge section of seating was shaded around 7PM (in August). We were in said shade and as the evening went on, a cool breeze emanated throughout. Perfection. The Pacific Amphitheater reminds me of a mini Hollywood Bowl with stadium seating and great acoustics. Concession stands are placed throughout offering food and drinks, but expect to pay more as price hikes are typical at concert venues. Parking is within the OC fairgrounds, but when the fair is going on, the area is inundated with cars trying to gain entrance onto the property. Leave early and prepare to wait in long lines. We got fed up with those long lines and ended up parking at Orange Coast College off of Fairview Rd. and Merrimac Way. Parking fee was $5 and you pay through an app. We already had dinner before coming down, so we only got drinks here... THE DRUNK DRINKS. - Pineapple Margarita by Hella Cocktail | Sweet pineapple flavor. Nothing crazy to dote over. - Margarita by VMC | Sweet and sour flavors, but there's a creamy consistency that really elevated this drink. Huge fan, try it out! Side note, we thought our concert tickets might also let us into the OC fair, but it didn't. All sorts of barricades were up so once we exited the amphitheater, it shot us out back in the parking lot. #wompwomp read more

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So I'm at the Orange County fair, Pacific amphitheater, purchased my tickets to Oliver Anthony a month ago first row Terrace section 6, they didn't tell me my view would be obstructed... Kind of messed up! read more

The Pacific Amphitheatre - Pacific amphitheater view from my seat - Music Venues Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

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I've seen some great concerts at this venue such as Brian Setzer, Joan Jett, Steve Miller, and many others. A couple were disappointing which I won't mention. This is a large venue and if you're older I would choose your seats carefully. The sound system is excellent and your concert tickets will get you into the OC Fair while it's going on. read more

We came to see John Fogerty. As soon as he started singing his hits Everyone in front of me stood up, so I had to stand in order to see anything. The air became very hazy with weed. Fortunately I had a Covid mask in my purse, so I could breathe. Other than that, it was a good concert. The first half was his sons. Would have been much better if John did all the singing. read more

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Easy to find, enter and park. Lots of seating with mostly all unobstructed view. Clean bathrooms available. Snack bar options. You can bring in unopened water bottles which is a huge plus. Great sound system. Came for a graduation but I've been here for concerts too. read more

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Love this music venue! So convenient and spacious. Love that it is open and close by. Lots of parking and great acoustics. Came to see CAKE perform with Dakha Brakha (folk band from Ukraine). Got great seats and enjoyed the show! Loved the goats, donkeys and llamas grazing on the hill in the background. So fun! Come see your favorites perform! read more

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Decent venue. Like adult films from the 70s, it used to have a big lawn, but they shut down in the early 90s due to noise complaints (thankfully after I saw X and Primus headline a festival), reopening in 2013 with a reduction in seats from 18765 to 8000 and concerts concurrent with the fair (admission included), like when I saw Hall and Oates. The venue hosted Marvin Gaye's last concert. He went out with a bang. read more

The Pacific Amphitheatre - Music Venues Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

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We had an amazing time at the Pacific Amphitheatre. I love the fact that the concert venue allowed you to go to the fair as well, the hubster and I truly enjoyed that aspect. Our seat was amazing and the service at the venue was great. Definitely our go to venue for concerts read more

The Pac Amp continues to deliver great music even after the fair. Easy parking, great selection of food and beverages inside. Both bands rocked it and look forward to next year's line up. Seeing Squeeze made my 80's heart so happy! PS. If you don't like to dance, sing and enjoy a good show, consider staying home and watching a concert DVD . You wreck everyone else's vibe! read more

The Pacific Amphitheatre - Boy George! - Music Venues Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

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I came here for the Cannons / XCII show tonight . Acoustics were great - even right in front of the speakers the sound wasnt too loud. Staff were friendly at box office and inside the venue. Only negative : start at 7 instead of 7:30 to give the headliner more than 1 hour ! The band Cannons played an extra 30 minutes at the Greek - I was there ! read more

The Pacific Amphitheatre - Cool Signage ! - Music Venues Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

This venue is great to watch live music. We came here to see J Boog and The Green last weekend. We were sitting in Section 6, Row M, and seat 59 & 60. We had a really great view from our seats which was a plus. There are a variety of concession stands so you don't have to go outside to the fair to get some food. The concession stands are also in the same area as the restrooms. I suggest going to the restroom before a break in the set because the lines do get long. Overall, great and clean venue. Looking forward to seeing another show there soon. read more

Crowds aren't my favorite, heck I get rattled when my kitchen has more than 1 person so I don't frequent a lot of places where a crowd is present. On this night my guy wanted me to hear "our song" sung by the Turtles. So I agreed to sit through (and really enjoy) 60's bands sing and play their top hits. The Cowsills "Hair", the Association "Never My Love", and "Cherish" were the few I recognized, and "Happy Together" was of course my favorite. And hey, I learned a nifty piece of trivia: Ron Dante was the vocalist for The Archie's song "Sugar, Sugar" so it was fun hearing that hit too. All in all the amphitheater is what you'd expect; it's old and open but seats are a bit crowded and aren't set up so their staggered - invariably I'll sit in back of someone with a giant head and that's exactly what happened on this night. Sure hope they're smart because that space would be wasted it it weren't filled with brains. Gorgeous evening, and besides Mr. Big Head we had no neighbors to the left or right of us...so a switch to a couple seats down cleared my view. Didn't even need a jacket, but we did have a lap blanket. Food is obnoxiously expensive, but we had dined in Irvine at one of our fav restaurants and weren't in the slightest hungry, not even for snacks. Parking is $10 per car and DO pay attention on where to park for the amphitheater. Depending on where you enter the parking lot the theater could be either 50 yards away or in Egypt and that will be a lonnnnnng walk for you. We took our time and parked just steps from the entrance so that was a win. Friendly staff, simple to find your seats, but we had a nice gentleman walk up to us and offer to help get us to our seats. Another win! Happy Together tour isn't one I'd drop everything to see, but it was super fun to listen to the old tunes and hear our favorite song. I'm fully aware how lucky I am to be able to jaunt around So Cal for impromptu entertainment with the one I love. So happy together! read more

The Pacific Amphitheatre - Happy Together tour just so I can hear one song. - Music Venues Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

We attended a show here during the 2022 OC Fair. Tickets were sold via Ticketmaster. You can scan your concert ticket to get into the OC Fair, then scan again at the doors of the amphitheater. The amphitheater is outdoors and large! Our show was to start at 2:00pm in July so practically every seat was getting warmed up by the sun! Lots of people were standing on the stairs to avoid the sun. There are no "standing room" tickets which I personally love so I could always have a seat. I purchased tickets in the "circle" section which is one section above the floor seats. The circle section as well as the rest of the amphitheater have stadium seating, whereas the floor seats which are several rows right in the front are on flat ground. I was very satisfied with my selection of seats - the sound and view were perfect! We were able to leave the amphitheater / OC Fair and enter again later. We received a stamp on our inner wrist for reentry. Parking is a known hassle, so plan accordingly! All staff members were helpful with getting us to our seats and giving us information in general. read more

The Pacific Amphitheatre - Night view of Sammy J from "circle" section - Music Venues Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

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Great venue, great location! I love seeing shows here during fair time because entry into fair is included. Fantastic layout to venue and great acoustics, always make for an enjoyable show no matter what type of performance I am here to see. Also, parking for this venue is great. With the purchase of show tickets, I was able to park in the lot closest to the entry gate. Made it easy to enter/exit for the show. read more

The Pacific Amphitheatre - Music Venues Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

Great Venue, came here to see Mario, Robin T. & Ne-Yo during the OC Fair. Had an amazing night with my girlfriends. read more

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I love that this theatre is outdoors! I came to see Mario tonight and also got to see Robin Thicke and Neyo. The staff here are nice and helpful. I feel that the stage crew did great job with the lights and digital effects. Great show! read more

I don't think there is a bad seat in the house. We have sat in several different areas of the theatre and the experience is the same. The food and drinks are pretty expensive so eating ahead is a good idea. The seats are stadium like but comfortable enough for a concert. If you are lucky you will have the pleasure of seeing llamas, goats, and other animals on the hill behind the amphitheater. Helpful hint: after the show, go out through the main back gates towards Arlington Dr. as it will dump you right into the fair! We spent several hours after the concert just walking around and trying different foods! They had already put the other animals to bed but everything else was open. It was a nice ending to a great evening with friends. read more

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Very nice venue! Excellent sound! Enjoyed watching Three Dog Night and The Grass Roots. The audience looked like a geriatric convention, but that was not the fault of the venue. Bathrooms were easily accessible and not bad and food options were great. Beer prices were pretty good compared with other venues. My advice is to go a bit early to account for parking and enjoy a meal and a drink. read more

The Pacific Amphitheatre - Three Dog Night 8-3-22 - Music Venues Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

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Always an amazing time! I've gone to many concerts but when I can get tickets to a group I like that plays here I always go. It's such a chill and friendly vibe with both employees and the other concert goers. Never fails to deliver a good time read more

Blocked view. We didn't expect that in an open amphitheatre: We were in the third row of section 7 (second tier back) and the ATD seating is set so high in front of us you could not see the stage. Wasted money watching a screen of Jeff Dunham all night instead of a show. Could have done that on Netflix. read more

Well, things have definitely changed.. we've gone to concerts at the Pacific Amphitheater for years at least 20; well the parking situation is deplorable. Traffic is really BAD. Even if one goes early, no parking by the venue. - while traveling, I wanted to make sure about the access to parking lot 'G'.. CANT get there; all the street are blocked off. Crazy bit, after walking 3+ blocks in the wrong shoes.. there were empty spaces in Parking lot 'G'! Someone posted issues with parking and I thought 'out of town', don't know how to get around.. well I was wrong. Parking is deplorable. Needless to say, the new vender 'etix.com' lost us as customers. read more

Stubhub ruined my first ever Tpain concert. with my boyfriend. Invalidated tickets for my birthday. We both had to walk 40 minutes back home because we were too pissed to even get an uber. Never again. Don't ever use them. Ever. I don't even know when I'll be able to see tpain again now here close to home in Costa Mesa. The worst. The couldn't even get me an extra ticket to get in at least. Just gave me a lazy ass refund. Pissed. Soooooooo pissed!!!!!! read more

This was a nice stadium. We went for a 7 pm concert and it was around 80 deg that day but by 7 it was great temp. The rows in between the seats are a good amount. I'm a plus size person and some people stood up but others didn't and I still managed to get by well. The seats are plastic and it's tight seating. They have cup holders which is a nice touch. They had alcohol and food and accepted cc. The parking was not well organized. A lot of the attendants didn't know where we needed to go. We paid for preferred and many people were lost. We ended up parking in regular parking. The bathrooms were big so no lines. read more

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The Beck and Phoenix concert at the Pacific Amphitheatre was sBECKtacular. During the summer OC fair, The PA is a great venue to see shows and check out the exhibits and food vendors. The food vendors and beer gardens are everywhere, and you can try many great tasing beers and one-of-kind treats. The concert performances were unforgettable. Phoenix opened the night and played all their classic songs. Everyone was singing and dancing to most of their song including one of their most popular songs "1901." During their last song, the singer came down from the stage and walked around shaking the hands of fans in the front sections. When Beck came on stage, the fans went wild, and many attendees got up, sang and danced during the whole performance. Late in the Beck's set, tens of beach balls were released to the crowd, and everyone had fun punching or tossing the balls in the air. The stage lighting and design for both sets were awesome and greatly enhanced the excitement and fun. read more

The Pacific Amphitheatre - Phoenix and Beck playing today - Music Venues Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

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I love the Pacific Amphitheater- all seats are great.... Ive gotten tickets for Cannons, Billy Currington, Steve Miller Band, The Eagles and more. During the OC Fair, they bring in lots of great artists! Food fair, great shows, fun environment for all. read more

It's a great "smaller" venue. My biggest beef is that there is not a lot of food choices and more frustrating is that the rows in the center section in the middle are too long and if you are in the middle (which we were) we had a to climb over 15-20 people on each side to get to an isle for the restroom. Sound system was great and the amphitheater is intimate. read more

This is one of the smallest outdoor venues in Cali. There is no bad seat. They have good 80s shows and reggae bands. Your ticket used to include admission to the oc fair too! Very easy to navigate and ample parking. read more

I love the Pacific Amphitheatre! The size is right so that there isn't really a bad seat. The big display screens help you see even if you are in the last row. I always like the sound there too. Not too loud. Nice that I usually get to go to the fair first and end with a great concert! Wish we could use it year round! read more

The Pacific Amphitheatre - Family Stone and Kool and the Gang!!!! - Music Venues Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

Easy Parking, ofc not free. Assigned seating, lots of alcohol and food booths available. Plenty of bathrooms stalls and the staffs were all friendly and helpful -- not so bad of an outdoor venue. Enjoyed the concert so much that alcohol was not needed. This was def. one for the books. read more

The Pacific Amphitheatre - Row V Seat 25/26/27/28 - Music Venues Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

Saw Bush perform here for the first time this past summer, and all I have to say was "AMAZING!" The arena wasn't too overpacked as I had assumed it would be, and coordination of staff and amenities was on point. The few drawbacks I have are parking and concessions. We went to the show when the OC fair was going on and could find parking (paid or street) we parked about 3/4 a mile away (even that was lucky!) also, the concessions are all the way at the top, so if you're wanting to get a drink during intermission or during the show and are sitting up front, you better be read to climb those stairs! read more

The Pacific Amphitheatre - Mmmm Mango Cart - Music Venues Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

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