Reviewed by Jeffrey B. Remz
There's a lot to like from long-running Swedish rock band The Hives from their vibrant music to the show itself to their sense of humor.
Now in their fourth decade, the quintet certainly deserves awards for best dressed band. As usual, the band all came out in matching and very cool looking black-and-white suits, black patent shoes and white socks.
But if it were only about the dress, The Hives would only be ready for the runway. Instead, their music more than carried them (and the crowd). The group plays rapid fire, melodic rock, a bit punky at times, although the tempo would eventually slow down a bit later during the tightly-paced show.
Lead singer Howlin' Pelle Almqvist was quite the showman. He was a vigorous presence from the get go of "Bogus Operandi" with high kicks and bounding about the large stage to the closing "Tick Tick Boom."
And the band kicked in just as well with drummer Chris Dangerous (ah, that's not his real name; it's Christian Grahn) establishing the backbone to the songs.
And then there was the humor. The elongated "Tick Tick Boom" found Almqvist introducing band members. One guitarist apparently was the founder of Harvard University. Another was goaltender for the Boston Bruins. And on it went – seemingly getting more outrageous as the intros progressed.
In a sense, The Hives saved their finest sense of humor even after they were done for the night. Coming over the loudspeakers was a version of "Nobody Does It Better." One had to assume this was tongue-in-cheek given The Hives sense of humor throughout the show.
At night's end, The Hives went to the front of the pit to engage and shake hands with the faithful. That was no joke. Whether anyone else does it better, of course, depends on one's prism. On this night, The Hives did it quite well indeed.
British punkers Bad Nerves set the stage for The Hives with a generally pleasing set. Guitarist William Phillipson appropriately sported a Ramones t-shirt. Lead singer Bobby Nerves wore shades (they eventually came off) and a black leather jacket for a good portion of the show.
Fortunately, Bad Nerves were not only about their sartorial splendor. One might think that would be the case given their musical style, but except for chiding the audience for not being more lively a bit too much, he presented himself as a worthy singer and face of the band.
Musically, that meant huge bursts melodic punk and a lot of fast-paced songs. A few tended to lag with lyrics on the indecipherable side, but overall Bad Nerves left a good impression.