The Orange County Register has a review of Thursday night’s Jimmy Buffett show in Irvine, California. They’ve also got a photo gallery from the show. See it here.

Drummer Russ Kunkel, who played on so many of Buffett’s (and everyone else’s) ’70s recordings, turned up to shake a tambourine during “Brown Eyed Girl” alongside rock-solid percussionist Ralph McDonald. Sam Clayton, who once anchored Little Feat, did the same for more than a few numbers — though he needed some guidance during “One Particular Harbor,” which, like “Son of a Son of a Sailor” later in the set, was noticeably peppier than normal.

Other longstanding yet still momentary members stuck around for the whole set, including slide-guitar whiz Sonny Landreth and Buffett’s current go-to co-writer Will Kimbrough, who added fretwork and vocals to just about everything but stood out most on material from last year’s Buffett Hotel album: the opening blast “Nobody from Nowhere,” the subtly inspirational “Wings” and the twanged-up ditty “Surfing in a Hurricane.”

Continue reading here.

The 2010 Under The Big Top Tour comes to an end tonight as Jimmy Buffett and the Coral Reefer Band play a show at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.

You can listen to the show live on Radio Margaritaville on the web at www.radiomargaritaville.com or on Sirius 31 / XM 55. Jimmy will take the stage shortly after 11 pm ET / 8 pm PT.

There are currently no more scheduled tour dates. After doing a November tour leg the last couple years, there are no dates planned this year. Look for the 2011 tour dates to be announced in January or February.

The circus came to town again Thursday night as Jimmy and the Reefers moved the Under The Big Top Tour to the Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre in Irvine, CA.

Notable additions to the set list this time included “School Boy Heart,”, a full acoustic version of “Banana Republics,” and “Window on the World.” “Defying Gravity” was tonight’s final encore, last played in full last November in New York.

View the entire set list here.

Did you attend the show? Share your thoughts on our Discussion Board.

The fifth and final leg of the Under The Big Top Tour will conclude Saturday with a show in Las Vegas. You can still get your tickets now for any shows left!

The ABC comedy “Modern Family” mentioned Jimmy Buffett in this week’s episode.

From Wikipedia’s episode entry:

Mitchell (Jesse Tyler Ferguson) and Cameron (Eric Stonestreet) soon learn that all of Lily’s friends have been put in preschool causing the two to panic. Mitchell calls Claire if Wagon Wheel is a good school and asks her if she can get them an appointment. At Wagon Wheel the assistant tells them with their diversity (with Mitchell and Cameron being gay and Lily being asian). Soon Mitchell starts calling Cameron his life partner to seem even more diverse to make it in Billingsley. They soon become beaten at their own game causing Cameron to pretend to be a Native American. They eventually decide to go to Wagon Wheel after failing their interview.

At one point, the receptionist at one of the schools describes their chances at getting into whatever preschool they want as being very good because of their diversity:

“You’re diverse times three – you’re like Jimmy Buffett tickets to these hybrid-driving straight white folks.”

(H/T to everyone that sent this in)

Update – Watch the clip here.

Jimmy Buffett and the Coral Reefer Band take their 2010 Under The Big Top Tour to Southern California tonight as they play a show at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater at Irvine Meadows in Irvine, California.

You can listen to the show live on Radio Margaritaville on the web at www.radiomargaritaville.com or on Sirius 31 / XM 55. Jimmy will take the stage shortly after 11 pm ET / 8 pm PT.

After tonight there’s only one show left: this Saturday at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.