Roxbury Packs Them In With Lots of Sunday Punch
Sundays have usually been slow evenings for clubs, unless they’re hosting gay- or reggae-themed nights, which many have begun to do. But five Orange County promoters--Groove Way, Unity, Riptide, KGB and PJ Productions--brought the crowds into Roxbury South in grand style this past Sunday.
More than 1,300 TYTs (that’s Trendy Young Things) walked through the doors that night. At 11:30, another couple hundred had to be turned away.
No doubt much of the success had to do with the welcoming of patrons ages 18 to 20. This was their big moment to see the illustrious club without employing a fake ID.
Unfortunately, it was also their last.
It seems that the club’s city-issued dance permit only covers patrons ages 21 and older, a fact pointed out by police sometime around midnight. Sunday nights will go on, but without the teens.
The loss might not affect the party too much, since there appeared to be a healthy number of drinking-age patrons with plastic bracelets on hand for the Sunday opener. Judging by the good times everyone seemed to be having, the gig should get plenty of return customers. So stay tuned.
Reggae still had a presence here, by way of the live musical stylings of Takaras in the bar downstairs. A different band with a different sound will be featured weekly. Look for the L.A. Bass Disco Sensation on Sunday.
Upstairs, deejays Ewok and Riff Raff, as well as guest deej Freddy Snakeskin of KROQ, pumped the room full of dance hits. There were some disco faves, KROQ flashbacks and a couple of newer alternative numbers, but it was mostly commercial house and pop.
And don’t expect to flow through the club too easily, either. The stairway was clogged most of the night, the dance floor was almost impenetrable, and finding lost buddies was an exercise in search and rescue.
A fashion show kicked off the night Sunday, and more will be featured in coming weeks. That’s good, because it will give organizers a chance to get it together. As it was, this was one of the least exciting events of the evening.
Sunday night drink prices are $2 for domestic beers, $3.50 for imports, $4 for wells and wines by the glass, and $1.50 for sodas.
Roxbury is also open Wednesdays, with reggae below and hip hop upstairs; Thursdays, for the “disco is not dead” crowd, and Friday and Saturday nights, featuring dance hits.
* SUNDAYS AT ROXBURY SOUTH
* 2 Hutton Centre Drive, Santa Ana.
* (714) 502-8747 or (714) 938-0843.
* 9 p.m. to 2 a.m.
* Cover: $5.