Another summer, another jam-packed but all-too-brief run at Pacific Amphitheatre. Five shows a week for five weeks, roughly speaking, spanning everything from current chart-burners (Adam Lambert, Young the Giant) to heroes of yesteryear (be it Three Dog Night or Tears for Fears, the real Wilie Nelson or the fake Beatles).

Click here for a photo slideshow of Pacific Amphitheatre shows.

As always, we will have complete coverage, including plenty of photos from each night plus commentary from our roster of writers. But first we provide a consumer report: Who’s really worth seeing out of this mix of kid pop and classic rock? Sheryl Crow or Heart? Willie Nelson or Martina McBride? English reggae greats Steel Pulse and Huntington Beach’s own Dirty Heads or less-kosher Matisyahu and New Zealand’s Katchafire?

These are tough decisions for tight times — but don’t think for a second most all of these shows will sell out. OC Fair-related fun like Pacific gigs consistently do big box office. It’s the musical escapist equivalent of a night out at the movies, and for families the cost isn’t much different … especially when you remember that every ticket to Pacific includes same-day admission to the fair.

Which shows are your best bets? Click through to see how 10 of these Costa Mesa match-ups shake out, with one peerless outfit set aside as an established champion, another cast off as the roster’s clear loser.

Find more music news and reviews on the Soundcheck Blog.

Follow the Encore Blog on Facebook at Facebook.com/encoreOC and on Twitter @encore_oc.

The latest from Encore:

You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.