The Great Outdoors in Costa Mesa : * Concerts: Singers Wynonna Judd, Tracy Chapman and Natalie Cole are among the artists who will be performing at the Pacific Amphitheatre.

A late-blooming outdoor concert season at the Pacific Amphitheatre will feature the leading ladies of country, contemporary folk and the 1992 Grammy Awards, as well as some of the leading men of the blues playing on a single bill.

Country singer Wynonna Judd, who recently launched her solo career with a hot-selling album, will headline at the Costa Mesa facility on June 27, the earliest of 14 dates announced by amphitheater officials. Opening for Judd are veteran country star Merle Haggard and Billy Dean, a bill that virtually duplicates the Judds’ final California concert last September in Devore.

Also booked, with dates to be announced, are Tracy Chapman, whose 1988 debut album helped fuel a commercial comeback for folk-based pop, and Natalie Cole, whose “Unforgettable” album was a big hit on Grammy night. Santana, B.B. King, Buddy Guy, the Fabulous Thunderbirds and Dr. John will play at the Pacific’s blues festival on Aug. 16.

In past years, the Pacific has booked shows as early as March 3, and the 18,700-capacity concert bowl usually has been up and running by mid-spring. This year’s late start is a matter of prime concert attractions scheduling their West Coast tours in the summer and fall rather than the spring, according to Alex Hodges, vice president of Nederlander Concerts, which books the Pacific.

Hodges said he expects at least one additional show to be penciled in before the Wynonna Judd concert.

The season also has been slow to take shape at Irvine Meadows, the Pacific’s perpetual rival for major pop attractions. Irvine opened March 14 with a sold-out show by hard rock band Skid Row, and subsequently hosted shows by Ozzy Osbourne (a last-minute transfer from the Long Beach Arena) and last weekend’s “KIIS and Unite” AIDS benefit. The 15,000-capacity Irvine Meadows has no other concerts scheduled until June.

“Sometimes (bands tour) early, and sometimes it’s late,” said Moss Jacobs, general manager of Avalon Attractions, which books Irvine Meadows. This year, “there’s nothing out.”

Other shows announced for the Pacific are Paula Abdul with Color Me Badd, June 28; James Taylor, July 1; “Symphonic Fantasy,” in which a cast of Disney characters and a 70-piece orchestra will present popular songs from the Walt Disney film library, July 2; Steve Miller Band, July 5; Allman Brothers Band and Blues Traveler, July 17; Chicago, July 25; Crosby Stills & Nash, Aug. 7; Alan Jackson, Sept. 4; Clint Black, Aaron Tippin and Little Texas, Sept. 19, and George Strait on an October night to be announced.

Starting Friday at 9 a.m., tickets will go on sale on a subscription basis in which buyers must order tickets to three or more of the concerts announced so far. Subscribers, as a fringe benefit, will get a chance to buy seats ahead of the rest of the public to concerts yet to be announced.

The phone purchase numbers are (714) 740-2000 and (213) 480-3232. “First Choice” seats also can be ordered by mail, P.O. Box 986, Los Angeles, Calif., 90028. The on-sale dates for individual shows will be announced, except for the Abdul show, which is already on sale (some seats have been held back for First Choice subscribers).

Before the outdoor season is over, Hodges said, he expects the Pacific to host 30 to 40 concerts, with more dates to be announced as acts are booked. The two big Orange County amphitheaters will be bidding against each other to land top attractions.

“What you see is the competitive forces still taking place,” Hodges said. “It’s one-upmanship sometimes, and the prices get driven up.” Hodges noted that, due to a wave of amphitheater construction around the country during the past few years, Orange County is no longer the only market where two similar outdoor facilities bid hard against each other for attractions.

“It’s becoming more of a phenomenon in other cities. Orange County is no longer leading the way to the highest (artist) guarantees and ticket prices. Some other cities have that dubious honor.”

Susan Rosenbluth, the Pacific’s general manager, noted that there will be some bargain opportunities this season, mainly on the expansive lawn that makes up more than half of the amphitheater’s capacity. Lawn tickets cost $11 for Crosby, Stills & Nash and “Symphonic Fantasy,” and $9.50 for Chicago.

“We made a concerted effort to make tickets available at a reasonable price, and definitely a concerted effort not to go up on prices” over past years, Rosenbluth said. Reserved seat prices for most of the shows start at more than $22, however, with top locations for Abdul, the Disney program, the Steve Miller Band and Clint Black costing $30 or more.

It was a matter of controversy last year when the Pacific booked three concerts during the run of the adjacent Orange County Fair--a move that raised objections from fair and city officials worried about traffic congestion. So far, this year’s schedule calls for two amphitheater shows during the fair’s run (the Allman Brothers Band and Chicago), and Hodges said more are likely to be added.

Irvine Meadows has not announced a season’s roster of bookings and in recent years has not publicized shows until tickets for each concert were about to go on sale. Bookings announced so far at Irvine are Rush and Mr. Big, June 3-4; Reggae Sunsplash, June 6; Hank Williams Jr., Patty Loveless and Doug Stone, June 19; and the Gipsy Kings, July 7.