Backstage look at the under-construction OCVibe concert hall

When the new OCVibe concert hall makes its March debut in Anaheim, its developers hope it’ll help amp up Orange County’s entertainment scene.

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That vision may be a little hard to see right now through the scaffolding and hard hats.

But in a few months, after hundreds of construction workers finish the build, the concert hall will accommodate up to 5,000 audience members and help the county compete with other nearby venues of similar capacities, such as the Greek Theater and Peacock Theater in Los Angeles.

“The impact for greater Orange County is going to be spectacular and something that the market has wanted, has needed, and we are proud to be able to bring it to life,” OCVibe Senior Vice President of Entertainment Eric Bressler said following a recent hard-hat tour of the construction that announced the spring opening window.

But even at three stories and roughly 104,000 square feet, the concert hall’s developers say it’ll have an “intimate” feel.

“You wouldn’t think you had 5,000 people in there,” OCVibe Chief Venue Management Officer Kevin Starkey said of the venue’s interior. “But once you get through those doors, it’s a party.”

The yet-to-be-named concert hall is just one element of the multi-phase, $5 billion OCVibe district that’s being developed around the Honda Center. The 100-acre project also plans a 300-capacity music club, a diverse menu of restaurants, parks and plazas, housing, office space and more.

OCVibe leaders have said a goal is to offer music entertainment at all levels from the small club to an arena show, with the concert hall filling the mid-range need.

So, before the concert hall officially opens its glass doors, here’s a sneak peek:

Concert-goers will enter from the new Urban Park, a plaza with walking paths and outdoor seating that is connecting several new pieces of OC Vibe to the Honda Center, which is undergoing its own $1 billion makeover. Also well under construction are The Weave office building and Katella Commons, a kitchen and dining hall.

“The idea is you dine here, then you come into the venue and have a great evening, or hang out after the event,” Starkey said.

A giant art installation,  “Stretto,” which in music refers to melodies overlapping, will distinguish the concert hall.

The art piece will hover above the ground, its metal panels reflecting light and color and mimicking a flowing wave.

That fluidity extends into the concert hall’s industrial-design lobby, where crews will later install stereo-shaped light fixtures that’ll illuminate several paths.

Doors will lead to the hall’s ground-floor seating, a flexible-use space looking up at the stage.

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The general admission area will be able to fit about 3,300 people, but the number is being finalized, Starkey said. It will be able to be configured in a variety of ways, he added, including to host a boxing ring.

Among the concert hall’s nine bars will be the private Gallagher Club — named after one of OCVibe’s founding sponsors — which has a balcony overlooking the nearby Honda Center, Katella Commons, the Urban Park and more.

The hall features three tiers of fixed seats — there are 1,700, with some pay-extra premium seats — and multiple standing balconies.

There are six upstairs bars among the tiers, Starkey noted. “Plenty of places to get a cocktail.”

And everything faces the mainstage. It’s a massive, 80-by-40-foot stage — think half of a professional basketball court — that will be able to extend outward up to 16 more feet.

“We tried to make it extremely flexible,” Starkey said, adding the space could be quickly transformed into, for example, a sports area or awards venue.

By “November or December,” crews will be installing a ceiling-to-floor curtain system and lighting grid that’ll amp up the stage drama.

Immediately backstage, the developers plan a stark difference in the ambience.

If the looming stage and seating arrangements carry the electric feel of a concert, the artist area is more of a cozy home away from home.

“We wanted to develop an artist’s area where they feel warm and welcome,” Starkey said.

There are two suites under construction with full kitchens and built-in laundry and showers, practice space and a dining area for staff. Most rooms have skylights to let in a lot of that California sun.

And for practicality, there are four drive-up loading docks.

Everything faces a growing strawberry tree because “when we were designing this we wanted to make it very SoCal-esque, so to speak,” Starkey said.

There is also a small parklet adjoining the spaces for the artists so they can have a backyard feel.

The artists who will break in the new spaces have yet to be announced. A name for the venue is also expected by the end of the year.

But construction isn’t waiting for either announcement.

“Something changes every day,” Starkey said. “Every time we walk, it’s a whole new experience. And I think the team walks three times a week.”

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