June 2026 Check-In's

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Jimi & Josh Smalban Playing At
The Fling Cocktail Lounge, Santa Ana, California
Tuesday, June 2, 2026

Barbara Dancing to Stan O'Kane & Friend At
The Fling Cocktail Lounge, Santa Ana, California
Linda Lopez, Barbara & Me
Wednesday, June 3, 2026

BBQ Experience At
Black Angus Steakhouse
Thursday, June 4, 2026

Sonoramics Classic Rock & Blues Band At
The Fling Cocktail Lounge, Santa Ana, California
Thursday, June 4, 2026

Billy Nation Billy Joel Tribute Band At
CampusJAX, Newport Beach, California
Saturday, June 6, 2026

THE PREMIER BILLY JOEL CONCERT EXPERIENCE -- Billy Nation delivers a refined, high-energy tribute to the music of Billy Joel, inspired by the raw, piano-driven performances of his early career. The result is a concert experience that feels authentic, timeless, and undeniably fun.

Based in Southern California, Billy Nation was named 2024 Best Tribute Band by San Diego Magazine. Led by pianist and vocalist Adam Shapiro, the band captures the sound and spirit of Billy Joel in his prime, creating an engaging, sing-along experience for audiences who grew up with the music and new fans alike.

This Billy Joel tribute band is excellent. We had seen them perform once before at CampusJax and their performance was excellent then too, but tonight's performance was even better! Three of the band members were the same as last time, but the drummer and I think the base guitar player were different. It was a sold out crowd and we had a table right in front of the stage.

We almost always bring a bottle of wine from our own extensive wine collection and just pay the corkage fee that usually runs between $10 to $20 per bottle. I generally open our oldest bottles first. I have just a few bottles left from 2013 vintage before moving on to 2014 vintage bottles. Though I've always kept all my bottles laying on their side to keep the cork moist to prevent it from degrading, sometimes a cork will break when opening a bottle. In many cases this will be because the server did not insert the corkscrew far enough into the cork which puts pressure on tearing an old cork apart rather than pulling the entire cork out. Because of this, I have started replacing the corks in my older bottles before bringing them to a restaurant. I have a corker and a bag of brand new corks. The corker requires a lot of manual pressure to insert a new cork into a wine bottle, but it is well worth it as a new cork is much less likely to split when opening a wine bottle than a decade old cork. The wine we brought today was a 2013 Trinchero BRV Estate Grown Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley that we had purchased years ago when we visited the Trinchero Winery when touring Napa Valley. This is one of my few last wines of 2013 vintage.

Ragdoll Classic Rock Cover Band At
The Fling Cocktail Lounge, Santa Ana, California
Saturday, June 6, 2026

Shiro Nobunaga At
The Fling Cocktail Lounge, Santa Ana, California
Cheryl & John Rodriguez, Barbara & Me
Monday, June 8, 2026

Ruby Kaye Trio Classic Rock Cover Band At
The Fling Cocktail Lounge, Santa Ana, California
Dave Fruth, Barbara & Me
Tuesday, June 9, 2026

Stan O'Kane & Friend At
The Fling Cocktail Lounge, Santa Ana, California
Barbara & Me
Wednesday, June 10, 2026

Sherwin Family Vineyards Visits
Twisted Vine, Fullerton, California
Thursday, June 11, 2026, 3pm - Closing

Get ready, this Thursday, June 11th, Twisted Vine is turning into Spring Mountain for the night! We're thrilled to welcome Sherwin Family Vineyards for an unforgettable tasting experience, and you're invited to be part of it. We're featuring a special Sherwin Family Vineyards Flight for one night only. Cellar scraps are back in, and you know they go fast. Matt Rapping from Sherwin will be here 5:00 pm - 8:00 pm, table-hopping, sharing stories, and bringing that signature Sherwin hospitality.

High atop Spring Mountain, Sherwin Family Vineyards has been crafting exceptional wines since 1996. After the devastating Glass Fire in 2020, the Sherwin family rebuilt with heart, resilience, and a renewed commitment to creating unforgettable wine experiences. Today, their estate is known for its stunning views, warm hospitality, and beautifully expressive mountain wines.

Matt brings two decades of luxury hospitality experience and a passion for creating memorable guest moments. Since joining Sherwin, he's become the heartbeat of the tasting room, overseeing operations, hosting guests, and jumping into the cellar during harvest. He's warm, knowledgeable, and the perfect person to guide you through the Sherwin story.

This is going to be a vibrant, high-energy evening filled with great wine, great people, and that signature Twisted Vine vibe. We'd love to see you there. Cheers, Twisted Vine Wine Bar

Sonoramics Classic Rock & Blues Band At
The Fling Cocktail Lounge, Santa Ana, California
Thursday, June 11, 2026

Abbey Road -- A Tribute to The Beatles
CampusJAX, Newport Beach, California
Friday, June 12, 2026, 8-9:30 PM

With their tight harmonies, flawless note for note renditions of Beatles hits, custom-tailored costumes, vintage instruments, Liverpudlian dialect and precise attention to every detail, Abbey Road has honed their show to become one of the most musically and visually satisfying Beatle tribute acts in the world. Abbey Road recreates the magic, music, wit and charm of the Beatles, including the Fab Four's cheeky personalities, familiar onstage banter and patter between songs. Hear the piccolo trumpet solo on Penny Lane and the full orchestration of A Day in the Life. Relive the emotional intensity of Paul's moving Yesterday solo, as well as the high energy of stadium songs like Twist and Shout and other Beatle hits.

This was the BEST Beatles tribute show I have ever attended and I've attended a lot of them. Not that it is important what the members of the tribute band look like, this was one of the few where true Beatles fans would immediately recognize which band member was playing the role of each Beatle. The band member that played Paul looked a lot like Paul and the same for Ringo. Beyond that, it was also obvious of the 2 remaining members which would be playing George's role and which playing John's role. I've seen a lot of Beatle tribute bands where I could not immediately figure out which Beatle was which beyond Ringo behind the drumset. But for this band, it was totally obvious right from them getting on the stage even though they were all wearing the exact same outfits.

Another thing I love about this tribute performance is that they played all of the songs "exactly" the way the Beatles played them in their original performance. They didn't improvise and they didn't modify the songs to an alternate way the tribute band thought the songs should be played. And, they did not make any errors in playing any songs that I noticed. For true Beatles fans, it can be annoying when a tribute band does not play Beatles songs exactly identical to how the Beatles originally sang the songs themselves. I think this tribute band must have spent a lot of time studying the minutia of exactly how the original songs were sang and played by the Beatles to duplicate the original recordings exactly. Also, they mostly played early Beatles songs and just a few from after the Sgt. Peppers era. The Beatles often incorporated other instruments, musicians and even entire orchestras in some of their later songs which is hard to do by a band of only four musicians. They also had to skip doing their usual 3 costume changes as CampusJAX does not have a backstage where they could do a change of clothing.

I never saw a performance by the Beatles in person myself, so you could say this is the best Beatles performance I've ever seen! It sounded just like the original vinyl Beatles albums I would play at home as each one was released, except this was much better being an actual live performance.

Sonoramics Classic Rock & Blues Band At
The Fling Cocktail Lounge, Santa Ana, California
Saturday, June 12, 2026

A new BBQ truck that we had not seen at The Fling previously arrived. We looked over the menu and decided to get a couple of items. But, by the time we went out to order at the truck, they were already gone! I don't think they gave anyone a chance to decide if they wanted anything and what they wanted.

Stan O'Kane Classic Rock Musician & Singer At
The Fling Cocktail Lounge, Santa Ana, California
Barbara & Me
Sunday, June 14, 2026

Shiro Nobunaga At
The Fling Cocktail Lounge, Santa Ana, California
Dave Fruth & Me
Monday, June 15, 2026

Jimmi & Josh Smalban At
The Fling Cocktail Lounge, Santa Ana, California
Dave & Joanne Fruth, Cheryl Rodriguez, Barbara & Me
Tuesday, June 15, 2026

Whiskey Tasting At
Macallans Public House, Brea, California
Wednesday, June 16, 2026

Have you ever wanted to explore more of what whisky has to offer? Enjoy a Wednesday night with our certified staff members and learn about new styles of whisky, the history, and how they all fit together. This communal event is a great way to try new spirits and brands from our ever growing collection of over 400 labels. Each class is tailored to the the group from large to intimate settings with hors d'oeuvres provided.

UPCOMING:

Skynyrd and Company -- Authentic Tribute To Lynyrd Skynyrd
CampusJAX, Newport Beach, California
Saturday, June 26, 2026, 8-9:30 PM

Celebrate the Music of Lynyrd Skynyrd and Southern Rock with Skynyrd and Company. Through accomplished musicianship and high-powered performances, Skynyrd and Company energizes audiences with a diverse mix of songs from Lynyrd Skynyrd's first five studio albums plus their much-celebrated 1976 live album "One More From the Road."

This Southern California-based group of musicians share a mutual respect and enthusiasm for Ronnie Van Zandt's vision to make Lynyrd Skynyrd the greatest Southern Rock band of all time. Skynyrd and Company is dedicated to keeping Ronnie's vision alive with authentic renditions of Skynyrd's classic catalog of songs that include "Gimme Three Steps", "Sweet Home Alabama", and "Free Bird" as well as "Simple Man", "Workin' for MCA", "Saturday Night Special", and "Call Me the Breeze."

Between the years of 1973 and 1977, the classic lineup of Lynyrd Skynyrd defined the Southern Rock genre, leaving a legacy of iconic songs ingrained in the American consciousness. Skynyrd and Company is a group of well-seasoned musicians who came together to accurately replicate this music note for note. With a deep well of talent and a dedication to authentically replicating Lynyrd Skynyrd's iconic sound, Skynyrd and Company has become the premiere Lynyrd Skynyrd tribute band in the American Southwest.

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