‘La Bamba’ Scheduled Aug. 29 : Season Start Promised at Starlight

In an effort to gain respectability for the beleaguered Starlight Amphitheatre in Burbank, the manager has gone from the Bible to La Bamba.

Tim Pinch, who is under contract to operate the city-owned Starlight, said he will start a “comeback” season for the outdoor theater Aug. 29 with a “La Bamba” oldies-but-goodies show featuring several 1950s groups and an appearence by Lou Diamond Phillips, who portrays Ritchie Valens in the current film “La Bamba.”

Other shows scheduled for the late-summer season include rock groups such as The Knack, Molly Hatchet, Pat Travers and Otis Day and the Knights, Pinch said. He said several other acts will be booked in coming weeks.

The shows are the first to be announced since Pinch withdrew plans to stage a high-tech extravaganza on the life of Jesus Christ. The production was too large and costly for the 6,000-seat Starlight, Pinch said.

“This is the most ambitious season we’ve ever tried up here, and everybody is watching us,” Pinch said. “I hope the stigma and the reputation around this place is gone. I think it’s gone. I’ve had an easier time booking concerts up here than before.”

City’s ‘White Elephant’

The city-owned Starlight, often referred to as Burbank’s white elephant, has been plagued for more than a decade with financial problems and legal difficulties. From 1979 to 1984, only a few city-related events were staged at the Starlight, and city officials complained that previous operators have not been able to live up to city officials’ hopes of attracting major entertainers.

Several operators said they had difficulty booking acts at the Starlight because of city opposition many years ago to booking acts such as Janis Ian and Jackson Browne.

“I hope this season puts us back in the mainstream,” said Pinch. “There are agents who just seem more willing to work with us now.”

Pinch operated the Starlight last year, staging mostly free big-band concerts and a few rock concerts with local bands. Response from city officials was positive, but they said Pinch should have staged more concerts with popular names. They also criticized what they called Pinch’s insufficient publicity efforts last year.

Pinch had predicted that this year’s season would be busier. But the Aug. 29 show will be the first since the June 1 start of the Starlight season.