‘We are foreign imports, so we have paid tariffs.’

Concert ratings

The Hives played House of Blues Friday, along with opening act The Chats.

The Hives with The Chats, House of Blues on Friday.

When the Hives arrived on our shores a quarter-century ago, they were immediately lumped in with the White Stripes, The Strokes and the Vines as a sign of a new wave of bands that showed that rock ‘n’ roll was alive and thriving.

The Vines exploded almost immediately. The White Stripes went on to produce a few more albums before serving as a launching pad for Jack White’s ongoing solo career. Strokes continued to have diminishing returns.

And the hives kept moving forward. Sure, there was a 12-year gap between albums and one lineup change – where two guitarists were replaced for health reasons – but the Swedish group proved to be the only ones in their college class who seemed loyal to their band long-term.

That was on great display Friday at the House of Blues, where the band played with the enthusiasm and commitment of its hungry youth and the confidence and mastery of its veterans.

Perhaps this was why the new songs that started and ended the concert were met with universal reactions as if they were old favourites, suggesting that the audience were at the Hives just as much as they were at the Hives in 2001.

The snarling string riffs of “Hate To Say I Told You So” and the shrill “Main Offender” were certainly received with enthusiasm. But none more so than the snarling string tones of opener “Enough Is Enough” and the chanting call-and-response of triumphant closer “The Hives Forever Forever The Hives,” both from the album the band released last year.

Igniting this enthusiasm was frontman Howlin’ Pelle Almqvist, already a master of ceremonies as a youngster and now seasoned to perfection.

He only alternated a degree or two, and his self-aggrandizement to his band — “Are you happy?” he asked the audience a few songs later, following it with “Okay, you are now” — could have been arrogant and distant.

But the Hives team seems to believe in two things: that they are the best at what they do, and that comes with a responsibility to prove it.

And with that, Almqvist’s flamboyant puff turned to generosity, as the rock star assured his fans that his band had come to entertain.

“We have crossed oceans,” he announced. “We killed dragons. We imported from abroad, so we paid the tariffs.”

He had the audience count down from 10 to start the “Countdown to Off,” then cut them off at 5 to yell “Shut up and clap your hands!”

The guitarists served almost the same role as AC/DC’s Angus and Malcolm Young, with rhythm and lead interchanging, with Vigilante Carlstroem as the steady anchor, as Nicolas Arsson’s turbulent, percussive attack and big-eyed, throaty stealing made him a most beguiling showman.

The entire band froze dead for a minute in the middle of “Paint A Picture.” The stage was visited periodically by a driver dressed as a ninja, who occasionally rang a tambourine or cowbell and constantly fed and pulled the singer’s microphone cord so that it was just the right length as he stalked the stage and wandered through the crowd.

Despite this scene, the playing was as tight as a drum. There was no space between the instruments on songs like “Tick Tick Boom” and the stunning “OCDOD” – they all seemed to have collapsed into each other.

“False Action” moved in clipped deflections and the propulsive stutter of “Roll Out The Red Carpet” would not have had nearly the impact if the players had not been so tight-lipped.

Which meant that it didn’t matter in the end that it wasn’t clear whether any of Hives’ songs were anything more than authoritative-sounding nonsense or that Almqvist’s two-note range meant he never sang, just preached passionately.

Regardless, the material and performances were solid, from the staccato confusion of “Walk Idiot Walk” to the raucous swing of “Stick Up.” The songs had a flare built into them uniformly and were seething with aggression.

More than anything else, The Hives promised their fans a good time, more than most bands ever did. As the end approached, Almqvist gushed, “We love you! You love us!”, and they worked hard to make it happen. As the hives took their bows, Carly Simon’s “Nobody Does It Better” filled the air.

With their reckless hustle and screaming vocals, the Chats’ Australian openers were like beehives taken in purely musical terms.

They put out a catchy garage blast, with bassist and vocalist Eamonn Sandwith sounding like punk aggression, drummer Matt Boggess sounding bored, and guitarist Josh Hardy sounding like he’s just rolled out of bed and playing like he’s afraid he’ll be late.

Mark Hirsch can be reached at [email protected] Or at Bluesky @spacecitymarc.bsky.social.

Tracklist for The Hives at House Of Blues – March 20, 2026

That’s enough
Walking idiot walking
Radio Rigor Mortis
Draw a picture
The main culprit
Rebel is born
Roll out the red carpet
Hold on
Fake process
I hate to say I told you so
Obsessive-compulsive disorder
Countdown to shutdown
Come here!
Tick ​​tick bum

Appearance
Legalization of living
Larger hole to fill
Forever hives forever hives