The Hives played Brooklyn Paramount

Sweden's greatest rock and roll export, The Hives, rocked Brooklyn to the core and turned a random Wednesday night a highlight of the year.

Storming to the stage with furious passion, The Hives wasted no time ripping into their diabolical rock and roll to set the night on fire. Opening with "Enough is Enough," Howlin' Pelle Almqvist took to the stage and screamed out "Everyone's a little fuckin' bitch / And I am getting sick and tired of it" as the crowd lit up the room like a powder keg set to a flame. High flying riffs and unstoppable energy from their legendary front man had the crowd in the palm of the band's hands from the get go and made sure to keep everyone fully locked in for the entirety of the night. Their garage rock inflections and over the top commentary made the band a real force from the start and perfectly illustrated their unbelievable showmanship. Diggin back to their breakthrough album Veni Vidi Vicious, the band unleashed "Main Offender" and had the building absolutely rocking, the high octane chorus a total thrill that was punctuated by Almqvist's wicked howl. The madness didn't stop between songs as Pelle instructed the crowd to make noise between each track as he boasted about the band and their status as the greatest to ever do it (an obvious tongue-in-cheek comment, but one that actually seemed totally plausible as the band proved their greatness with each song). "We get better with every album so we're playing mostly new songs" we were told earlier in the evening and when they hit us with "Bogus Operandi," there was a roar that ran through the crowd as everyone bounced along with unadulterated enthusiasm. Even after an onslaught of hits and even bigger hits, nothing was as anthemic as when they launched into "Hate to Say I Told You So." From the opening riff, the crowd erupted with passion and the band stormed through the song with relentless energy. As the crowd chanted the bass line back to the band, it was an empowering moment that filled the room with life-affirming fervor. Just when the song was about to end, the crowd revived the bass line chant and the band hit us back another final refrain to really polish things off. The variety between songs may be limited for The Hives, but there was never a moment that felt repetitive and the authority in which the band played made each song feel like a certified banger. No one takes themself more seriously than Howlin' Pelle and his engagement with the crowd was on point for the entirety of the night, his commitment to his character never fleeting and without question consistently reminding everyone why he is one of the best to ever do it. For nearly three decades The Hives have been touting themselves as the greatest rock and roll band of all time and to this day the band makes each one of their shows a solid point in their argument. Time and time again the Hives make the case that there's no one who cares more about their fan experience than this rock and roll band and every show is up for grabs as their best performance. In fact, their best show is probably the one that happened last and in this case it was at Brooklyn Paramount on a Wednesday.

Set list:

01 "Enough Is Enough"
02 "Walk Idiot Walk"
03 "Rigor Mortis Radio"
04 "Paint a Picture"
05 "Main Offender"
06 "Born a Rebel"
07 "Roll Out the Red Carpet"
08 "Stick Up"
09 "Bogus Operandi"
10 "Hate to Say I Told You So"
11 "Countdown to Shutdown"
12 "Come On!"
13 "Tick Tick Boom"
--
14 "Legalize Living"
15 "Bigger Hole to Fill"
16 "The Hives Forever Forever The Hives"