“The Hives are back!” exclaimed lead singer Pelle Almqvist late in the band’s set on Thursday at Brooklyn Bowl Nashville.
Based on The Hives’ performance, it’s hard to argue otherwise. From start to finish, the Swedish group put together an energetic and insanely fun set.
Before the headliners took the stage, Nicole Atkins & the Family opened the night off with a rocking 45-minute set. Atkins, who lives in Nashville, still considers herself a Jersey girl, and it showed with her performance as she swooned the Music City crowd with her powerful and soulful voice. While Atkins took center stage, her band also played a large part in highlighting the singer. She reciprocated that attention by introducing each member of the group and letting them showcase their skills.
Most of Atkins’ set revolved around her own tracks, but it was a cover of Led Zeppelin’s “What Is and What Should Never Be” that closed out the night for Atkins and company. “We figured that we’ve all been stuck inside for the last 18 months that we want to go balls out and full classic rock mode,” Atkins stated. It was a bold strategy to cover a legendary track. But, Atkins and her band perfectly executed the tune, putting their own spin on it that helped close out the set on a high note.
As The Hives got set to take the stage, the band’s neon sign lit up as the rockets got set to make a theatrical entrance. That start to the performance forecasted how the rest of the set went, which was nothing short of electric.While most of the group had their standout moments, Almqvist dominated the audience’s attention. Midway through the performance, Almqvist stated that he’d been a veteran rockstar after being in the limelight for 29 years. That experience was on display early as he was nothing short of a showman on the night. Throughout the 14-song performance, The Hives’ singer jumped all over the place, including on stage and into the crowd. He even managed his way to the bowling lanes, throwing a couple of balls, before returning to the stage.
During the night, the band incorporated their biggest hits, which included a majority of early 2000s rock songs. After 10 songs, The Hives performed “Hate To Say I Told You So,” the tune that allowed the rockers to gain popularity on the United States charts. Following that performance, the band left the stage before returning for a three-song encore. The night concluded with an extended version of the smash hit “Tick Tick Boom.”
During that song, Almqvist divided the crowd in half, splitting them to make a walkway through the crowd. He headed then headed to the back of the venue and asked each audience member to take a knee. To the surprise of even the lead singer, 99 percent of those fans on the main floor followed the command. Shortly after that, Almqvist ran back to the stage, and the audience jumped up for an excellent effect to close out the night.
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