Encore ~ Entertainment and Nightlife in Orange County

Archive for April, 2012

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Slideshow: Continental Room hosts old school game night

April 30th, 2012, 7:31 pm by

The Continental Room in downtown Fullerton hosted an old school game night on Sunday featuring Super Nintendo video games and board games including Battleship, Clue and Sorry.

Click here for a photo slideshow of the Continental Room’s Game Night.

Resident DJs That’s All Folks and DJ Wrack ‘em Frack ‘em kept the crowd goin’ by spinning select vinyl from the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s.  No word yet on if the venue will host an evening like this again, but with the successful turn out on this night, we hope so.

Photos by Jenavieve Belair, for OrangeCounty.com.

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Posted in: Nightlife • Slideshow • • • • • • |

Slideshow: Scenes from Stagecoach 2012 Day 3

April 30th, 2012, 10:36 am by

Register critic Ben Wener and his crew covered the three-day Stagecoach 2012 country music festival at the Empire Polo Field in Indio over the weekend.  Sunday included performances by Brad Paisley, Sheryl Crow, the Band Perry and more.

Click here for a photo slideshow from Stagecoach 2012 Day 3.

Click here for a photo slideshow from Stagecoach 2012 Day 2.

Click here for a photo slideshow from Stagecoach 2012 Day 1.

Follow the Orange County Register’s Stagecoach 2012 coverage on the Soundcheck Blog.

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

Photo by Karl Walter, Getty Images

Posted in: Show Reviews • Slideshow • • • • • • • |

AfterWork: College Night at the Matador Cantina

April 29th, 2012, 8:05 pm by

If you’ve been to college, you understand what it’s like.

If you haven’t been to college, watch the movie “Animal House.” That’s EXACTLY what college life is like.

Well, it’s the college life we dream of, and the students who attend college in the Fullerton area try their best to emulate the Deltas of “Animal House.”

Click here for a photo slideshow of the Matador Cantina’s College Night.

When they’re not running through the streets in their underwear (actually that’s Chapman University in Orange), they’re playing beer pong and hanging out in downtown Fullerton on Thursday nights.

Seriously, Thursday night in downtown Fullerton is like a weekly spring break, only without the beach.

Students line up outside almost every eating and drinking establishment in the area, and one of their favorite haunts is the Matador Cantina.

The Mexican restaurant, on the former site of Rockin’ Taco Cantina, offers fine cuisine, a solid happy hour and 50 different kinds of tequila, from the basic drink you find everywhere to top-shelf tequila that costs $25 a shot (Gran Patron).

Actually, Thursdays start out pretty normal at the Matador, with a mix of dinner patrons and happy hour revelers.

As the dinner hour nears an end, some tables and bar stools are removed, and the Matador becomes a nightlife destination, where the future stands six deep at the bar.

By the way, in addition to the discounts during the regular happy hour (2-7 p.m., Monday-Friday), there is a $5 late-night menu from 10 p.m. to midnight.

By Barry Koltnow, the Orange County Register.

Contact the writer: 714-796-5051, ext. 1110, or bkoltnow@ocregister.com

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

Posted in: After Work • Nightlife • Slideshow • • • • |

Slideshow: Scenes from Stagecoach 2012 Day 2 in Indio

April 29th, 2012, 7:38 pm by

Register critic Ben Wener and his crew are out at the Empire Polo Field for the three-day Stagecoach 2012 country music festival.  Saturday included performances by Blake Shelton, Miranda Lambert, Luke Bryan, Chris Isaak, Pistol Annies and more. For a full review of Day 2, click here.

Click here for a photo slideshow from Stagecoach 2012 Day 2.

Click here for a photo slideshow from Stagecoach 2012 Day 1.

Follow the Orange County Register’s Stagecoach 2012 coverage on the Soundcheck Blog.

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

Photo by Christopher Polk, Getty Images.

 

Posted in: Slideshow • • |

Slideshow: Lee Rocker and Big Sandy rock the Observatory

April 29th, 2012, 7:20 pm by

Stray Cats bassist Lee Rocker performed his solo material to a packed house at the Observatory in Santa Ana Saturday night alongside Big Sandy and His Fly-Rite Boys.

Click here for a photo slideshow of Lee Rocker and Big Sandy’s performances at the Observatory.

Photos by Jenavieve Belair, for OrangeCounty.com.

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

Posted in: Slideshow • • • • • |

Slideshow: Scenes from Stagecoach 2012 Day 1 in Indio

April 28th, 2012, 12:16 pm by

Register critic Ben Wener and his crew are out at the Empire Polo Field for the three-day Stagecoach 2012 country music festival. Friday evening included stellar performances by Alabama, Jason Aldean, Sara Evans and the Eli Young Band. For a full review of Day 1, click here.

Click here for a photo slideshow from Stagecoach 2012 Day 1.

Follow the Orange County Register’s Stagecoach 2012 coverage on the Soundcheck Blog.

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

Photo by FRAZER HARRISON, GETTY IMAGES FOR STAGECOACH

Posted in: Show Reviews • Slideshow • • • • • • |

Review: Never Shout Never connects intimately with fans at Chain Reaction

April 28th, 2012, 11:52 am by

The opening of two sold-out Never Shout Never shows at Chain Reaction on Friday night brought out an array of ecstatic fans that were more than ready for the rock trio’s set.

Click here for a photo slideshow of Never Shout Never’s performance.

Lead vocalist and guitarist Christofer Drew turned his previous solo act (under the moniker Never Shout Never) into a full-on touring indie pop band in 2010. That decision, however, didn’t compromise Drew’s solo work, but instead provided enhancements to some of his most notable songs like “Trouble” and “Happy” which are much more lively now on stage courtesy of a full band.

The small venue was completely packed and consisted of mostly younger girls, who were swooning over Drew. The moment the humble, yet captivating, vocalist walked onto the stage, the crowd went ballistic. It was a night of endless screaming and girls calling out “I love you!!!”

Taking several song requests from fans throughout its set only added to the intimate feel of the performance. Watching Drew, it’s easy to see why so many people identify with him. He’s accessible and stays true to his eclectic, colored nails, tribal face-paint wearing self. The stage separating Never Shout Never from its audience becomes nonexistent as he offers a polite but heartfelt “thank you” at the end of every song and an occasional nervous, yet cute, laugh.

Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in: Show Reviews • Slideshow • • • • • • |

Slideshow: Geisha Girls take over Detroit Bar

April 27th, 2012, 12:34 pm by

Punk rock non-female trio Geisha Girls performed on Tuesday night at Detroit Bar in Costa Mesa along with the Flytraps, Feral Kizzy and the Savoys.

Click here for a photo slideshow of Geisha Girls’ performance at Detroit Bar.

Photos by Jenavieve Belair, for OrangeCounty.com.

Posted in: Nightlife • Slideshow • • • • |

Review: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band thunder back into L.A.

April 27th, 2012, 11:07 am by

Another soul-stirring L.A. Sports Arena show Thursday from the Greatest Living American Rock Institution, and another tremendous performance from his venerable group, the E Street Band, now expanded to double its original size thanks to a full complement of background vocalists and horn players — including Jake Clemons, nephew of the Big Man himself, who again and again did right by his uncle’s indelible tenor sax solos.

Click here for a photo slideshow of the performance.

Without sounding like I’ve taken leave of my critical faculties and fallen into an abyss of gushing hyperbole, this opener of a two-night stand was seriously one for the local concert history books. In a quarter-century of seeing Bruce Springsteen live in Southern California, I’ve experienced more sheer jubilation only in peak moments at the Seeger Sessions show at the Greek, and I’ve only felt such deeply resonant relevance once before, when he played a Rising-heavy set at the Forum not long after 9/11.

This one may have been even better than that; I should get some sleep and perhaps gain some perspective. I doubt I’ll change my assessment — there were just too many memorable moments that set this appearance apart from so many other Boss bashes in recent years.

For more on Springsteen’s performance and a full set-list, go to the Soundcheck Blog.

Photo by Kelly A. Swift, for the Orange County Register.

 

Posted in: Show Reviews • Slideshow • • • • • |

Slideshow: Highlights from KROQ’s annual Weenie Roasts

April 26th, 2012, 6:41 pm by

With KROQ 106.7 FM’s sold-out 20th Annual Weenie Roast y Fiesta happening on May 5 – featuring headliners Coldplay, Incubus, the Offspring, Silversun Pickups and Garbage at Verizon Wireless Amphitheater – we decided to take a look back at past Weenie fests. Check out what I thought of the 2011 Weenie Roast with surprise guest the Foo Fighters here.

Click here for a photo slideshow of past KROQ Weenie Roasts.

The multi-artist rock concert has been presented annually since 1993 at Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in Irvine, formerly known as Irvine Meadows, with the exception of 2000, when it was held at Angel Stadium in Anaheim and featured No Doubt, Korn, Ozzy Osbourne, the Offspring, Creed, Moby, Stone Temple Pilots, Third Eye Blind, Lit and more.

The inaugural event took place on June 12, 1993 and featured Terence Trent D’Arby, Dramarama, Gin Blossoms, the Lemonheads, the Posies, Rocket from the Crypt, X and Stone Temple Pilots.

Of all the artists to have played Weenie Roast, Stone Temple Pilots, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Bad Religion and Tim Armstrong, whether solo, with Rancid or the Transplants, have performed most frequently through the years.

Take a spin through our slideshow to see many of the acts that have performed – some memorable, others may have you asking, “What happened to that dude/band/white rapper?”

 

Posted in: Music News • Slideshow • • • • • • • • • |

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