Less than a year after The Hives at Primavera Sound 2023, the Swedish band returns to Brazil with a unique show in São Paulo, and a breathtaking performance.
The show started precisely at 9:30 PM with one of the best openings of all time for a rock band, Chopin . How come nobody had thought of that before (or had they)?
It's well known that The Hives put on one of the best rock shows around today. Those who haven't seen them can believe it, and those who have will agree with me. It's also a fact that Sweden has some of the best rock bands today: Blues Pills , Opeth , In Flames, Ghost , Lucifer , Viagra Boys , and the veterans The Hives, who, despite being on the road for over 30 years, still retain the freshness and energy worthy of a band just starting out in its early years.
Since their breakthrough with the excellent "Hate to Say I Told You So" from the 2000 album Veni Vidi Vicious , The Hives have come to Brazil several times; some say this was their best show yet.
Starting with the excellent choice of venue: it can be said that Tokio Marine Hall is one of the most comfortable concert halls in Brazil, with excellent acoustics. My only criticism is that the show is short, 1 hour and 15 minutes, but I believe the band wants to leave the fans wanting more, and they succeed.
The show's repertoire is based on their latest studio release, the excellent The Death of Randy Fitzsimmons , recorded at ABBA's Benny Anderson studio in Stockholm. From this album, the band plays the opening track of the show, "Bogus Operandi," "Rigor Mortis Radio," "Stick Up," "Trapdoor Solution," "Countdown to Shutdown," and "Smoke and Mirrors."
From the band's biggest commercial success, their second album, 2000's Veni Vidi Vicious , they play "Main Offender" and "Hate to Say I Told You So". From their third album, Tyrannosaurus Hives , they play "Walk Idiot Walk". From The Black and White Album , they play "Try it Again" and close the show with "Tick Tick Boom", and from their penultimate studio album, Lex Hives , they open the encore with the now classic "Come On" and also play "Go Right Ahead". It doesn't even seem like the band didn't release any studio albums from 2012 to 2023; it seems like the guys froze in time.
The performance is undoubtedly what draws the most attention, and the humor, especially from the show's leader, the sensational vocalist Pelle Almqvist. The rest of the band is also extremely competent; guitarist Nicholaus Arson is also an important figure, as is the excellent drummer Chris Dangerous , who seem to be the band's leaders. The charismatic Vigilante Carlstroem on the other guitar also shines, as does the bassist, and newest member of the band, The Johan and Only.
But it's worth talking about Pelle, the show's host, the party's entertainer. Sometimes he resembles a circus ringmaster, sometimes a young Iggy Pop. He shouts, jumps, throws himself into the audience, tells jokes, speaks Portuguese all the time (and without an accent). The guy is truly a star, a real showman , an entertainer . Ladies and gentlemen, and young ladies… what a character this guy is.
The Hives have truly established themselves as one of the biggest names in rock today, putting on one of the best live shows, a mix of Stooges and punk rock, with hints of Stones and AC/DC – nothing but great stuff – and the songs are fantastic, full of humor, no frills.
Excellent lighting, simple and efficient. Black and white throughout, like the Spy vs. Spy from MAD , one of the band's inspirations. The costumes are great; The Hives' suits and the roadies' ninja uniforms make the visual aspect incredibly fun and transform the band members into characters, half Kiss , half Devo . It was a truly impeccable show, as a rock show should be: fun, energetic, and loud, VERY loud.
Our contributor Thiago Vidal was at the show and captured the performance with exclusive photos. Check out the gallery below.
