Visions Keep the Underground Club Scene Mostly in Focus
Despite successful results by our neighbors to the south and north, the underground club scene never quite reached Orange County in its true form: young entrepreneurs inhabiting old ballrooms or warehouses one night a week, bringing mostly non-mainstream dance music to a new generation of fashionable discoers.
There have been some attempts to imitate the too-cool attitude. NYC in Newport Beach tried, but inconsistency in its dress code, cover and drink costs got old quick, and the club went out of business. Los Angeles club promoters who live in Orange County tried to bring the ambience and music home, but gave up when the venues couldn’t make a fast buck.
The one club that has outlived its competitors and maintained a somewhat underground feel is Visions III at Newport Station on Friday nights.
The first of the Vision series, Vision III spent three years bopping around the county, playing one spot then moving on to another a few months later, before moving into its present location in December, 1990. Apparently no earth-shattering reason exists for naming the first club number three, according to promoter Danny Aguilar. “Why not?” he shrugs when asked.
The Costa Mesa-based building lends itself well to the underground atmosphere: It’s dark, stuffy and, if you like to dance, lots of fun.
The club also comes with all the elements that surround big city scenes: There’s a long line outside for the masses after 10:30 p.m. and a shorter cue for regulars holding a VIP card who can skip the $7.50 cover charge (more about that card later). And there is a dress code, though it seems to be at the discretion of the doorman (athletic shoes are supposedly not allowed, for instance, but certain styles are allowed to slip by, especially if you flash that all-important VIP card).
The VIP card is an exclusive privilege for patrons who frequent any of the Vision clubs, and Aguilar’s way of “taking care of those who come on a regular basis.” Aguilar will personally sign you up for the free silver plastic pass if he sees your mug enough, or you can ask any of the Vision personnel for an application.
Aguilar also takes care of his clients with a smooth operation that balances order and fun. His suited staff asks, as opposed to tells, and they extinguish trouble without disrupting anyone’s good time.
The song list ranges from techno to ‘70s funk and disco, with a few surprises thrown in, such as a Latin salsa or the “Winnie the Pooh” theme song. The deejays seem to spin with the philosophy that “if you can dance to it, we play it.”
The parquet floor is large enough to accommodate many dancers, but if your feet fail you there are grandstand seats positioned nearby so you can watch your friends make spectacles of themselves. There are also two pool tables available for added diversion.
Vision III is for those 21 and over, and the majority of the 1,000 or so stylish patrons who come to party on any given Friday night seem under age 30.
Two good-sized bars serve beer at $2.75 to $3.50 for bottles of domestic and imported brands; well drinks and wine are $3.25 to $4.50. No drinking or smoking allowed on the dance floor.
The club is fairly dark, except for the lit charcoal drawings (recently showing futuristic robot-human faces), fluorescent flowers (or some other motif that changes monthly) and TVs showing vintage television episodes. Another in the Vision series, also operated by Aguilar, is Vision V at Nina’s, which kicks off the weekend early on Thursdays. But the Newport Beach location of this Visions seems to attract mostly rich kids with a bad sense of style. (Hello, it’s 1992!)
The music tends to be more Top 40 oriented and a run of KROQ classics but serves as a good weekend warm up if you’re a dancing machine.
The cover charge here is $5 ($3 with a VIP card) and $2 all-night drink specials for domestic and imported bottled beer and well drinks make this club a good deal.
But bring a jacket. The line to get in is incredibly long for folks without that VIP card.
The ambience of the Costa Mesa club is missing here, though it’s really a very nice, clean club--if you go for those fancy, nouveau deco spots that recall “Miami Vice.” With its large windows overlooking Newport Bay, Nina’s does have an air of romance, although the occasional meat-market stench can ruin it if you’re not on the prowl.
Aguilar will open a new club, this one called simply Vision, on Halloween night in Irvine. The club will be open Saturdays only; cover charge is $15 on Halloween night, $7 regularly.
For information on any of the Vision clubs, call the hot line at (714) 239-4336.
* Vision III, 1945 Placentia Ave., Costa Mesa. Fridays only, 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. (714) 631-0031.
* Vision V at Nina’s, 3388 Via Lido 3rd Floor, Newport Beach. Thursdays only, 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. (714) 723-0500.
* Vision, at Yolie’s Brazilian Steakhouse, 2646 Dupont Drive, Irvine. Opens Oct. 31 and continues every Saturday thereafter, 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. (714) 251-0722.
