Odin at The Slidebar Rock ‘N’ Roll Kitchen, 6-10-17 Concert Review

Odin performing "Push"

In my review of Odin’s recent show at the Whisky, I wrote that Odin doesn’t perform all that often. Well, that might be changing. It seems the band is excited to be gigging again. You can feel it in their playing, in their attitude, in the excellent energy coming from the stage. And the crowd is certainly responding to it. Odin did an afternoon show yesterday at The Slidebar Rock ‘N’ Roll Kitchen in Fullerton, a free show, and the audience – a good portion of which had been at the Whisky too – was singing along to a lot of the songs, excited to see them at such an intimate venue. Though, as someone said before the show, it’s strange to see a rock band in the daylight (Randy himself would mention during the band’s set, “We don’t play in daylight usually”).

This was my first time at The Slidebar, and I definitely enjoyed the place. The staff was friendly and attentive, and the venue had a very relaxed, loose vibe. The bathroom walls were covered with band stickers, including one for Fozzy’s Hero (curious about that one based solely on the name, have to remember to look into that band). Also, it was an all-ages show, and there were some very young hard rock fans in the audience (with ear protection). And though I mentioned this before, I feel a need to call attention to it again: metal fans have got to be the most considerate and cool audience of all. Anyway, all of these factors contributed to this being a totally enjoyable show. But the main thing, obviously, was the music. And after an opening set by Metal 101, Odin came on strong with “One Day To Live,” one of my favorites. They started their set just after 5:30 p.m. Though the venue is small, the Odin banner was displayed on the wall just behind the drum kit. And there was a plastic sound barrier in front of the drums, to protect us all. This venue was doing it right.

They followed “One Day To Live” with “Midnight Flight,” and then lead singer Randy O thanked bar owner Jeremy Popoff (whom you might also know as the guitarist for Lit) for inviting Odin to do this gig. After “12 O’ Clock High,” Randy playfully plugged the band’s merchandise, particularly the T-shirts, saying that it wasn’t that sales were paying the band’s rent, just “We want to see you wearing them.” They then went into “Over Your Head,” and it was clear the band was having a whole lot of fun, as was the audience, each sharing energy with the other. The band established a good rapport with the crowd, and during a great “Don’t Take No For An Answer,” Randy had audience members singing along. This song was certainly a crowd favorite, and it featured some excellent work on guitar by Jeff Duncan. After that one, Randy told the crowd the band was going to “mellow it out now” and “switch it up a bit,” and they went into “She Needs My Love.” Randy then told the audience, “None of these guys drink, but I do.” He joked about his own drug use in the early days of the band, mimicking someone asking him “What do you like?” and answering “Everything.” And the band also joked a bit about their appearance in The Decline Of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years, with bass player Aaron Samson telling the crowd, “I refer to that movie as ‘Decline Of My Reputation.’”

Lit members Jeremy Popoff and A. Jay Popoff joined Odin for “Shining Love,” Jeremy likening this show to Jeff Spicoli having Van Halen play his birthday party. “Odin’s playing my fucking house right now,” he exclaimed. It was a really good rendition of “Shining Love,” with Jeremy on guitar and A. Jay joining Randy on vocals. The set ended just after 6:30 p.m., until an “Odin, Odin” chant brought them back on stage for an encore, “Judgement Day,” with Randy getting some help on vocals from his kids. A good ending to a fun set.

Set List

1. One Day To Live
2. Midnight Flight
3. 12 O’ Clock High
4. Over Your Head
5. Push
6. Modern Day King
7. Don’t Take No For An Answer
8. She Needs My Love
9. Little Gypsy
10. Shining Love

Encore

1. Judgement Day

Here are some photos from the show:

"Midnight Flight"

"Midnight Flight"

intro to "Modern Day King"

"Modern Day King"

"Don't Take No For An Answer"

"Don't Take No For An Answer"

intro to "Shining Love"

"Shining Love"

"Shining Love"

"Shining Love"

"Judgement Day"

The Slidebar Rock ‘N’ Roll Kitchen is located at 122 E. Commonwealth Ave. in Fullerton, California. I hope Odin plays at this venue again. It was definitely worth the trek down from L.A.

The Slidebar before Odin's set