Exclusive | I saw The Hives perform in Brooklyn. They’re the reason live shows exist
Let’s get one thing straight.
Writing about seeing The Hives live in concert is silly.
To see the tongue-in-cheek, garage punk rockers in person is an essential, spiritual experience that must be witnessed in person to truly do the raucous fivesome justice.
In any event, here’s an attempt at trying to capture the mayhem that is a Hives concert via text.
On Wednesday, March 18, the group that brought the world “Tick Tick Boom,” “Walk Idiot Walk” and “Enough Is Enough” headlined at the pastoral Brooklyn Paramount and promptly blew the roof off the sucker.
Following an impassioned set by defiant opening act The Chats (and a quick 20-minute set-up by roadies in ski masks), the lights went off at the general admission venue. A quiet came over the space as thousands of fans stood in otherworldly darkness.
An ominous beep sounded and then…
The Hives came out adorned in their custom tuxes topped with neon gold lights — think garage rock meets Vegas meets Tron — and proceeded to deliver an improbably joyous 16-song set of in-your-face angry rock and roll.
Leading the charge was their magnetic frontman Howlin’ Pelle Almqvist, who can only be described as wily, gregarious and like Iggy Pop in Dirk Nowitzki’s body.
For two hours, the truly singular 47-year-old Swede acted as a vocalist, showman, ringleader, stand-up comedian and merry prankster, creating a concert that also felt like a house party and old-timey vaudeville show all at once.
To get the show underway, the heavy hitmakers delivered a rousing rendition of 2025’s “Enough Is Enough,” which had the packed space jumping as soon as Pelle yelled the very first line: “everyone’s a little, f—ing b—-.”
Amen.
You gotta love being at what feels like an underground basement punk show in one of NYC’s most pristine venues.
From there, The Hives’ rock and roll rollercoaster refused to let up as the group added silly announcement interludes (“I got an announcement. The Hives are f—ing sell outs. We sold all the tickets to our New York show. If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere, so we made it everywhere”), a “Harlem Shake” style frozen choreography moment after a song ended and a direct order for audience members to keep their hands raised in the air until we were told to start clapping.
As the cheeky, charismatic Pelle informed his rapt crowd “this isn’t a spectator sport. This is rock and roll. That requires participation!”
He held up his end of the bargain by tossing the mic, displaying acute verbal dexterity and jumping like a madman while having us do the wave and sing a cappella with him, seemingly using every trick in the book of rock and roll.
Who cares about shameless cheese when you’re having this much fun?
Musical highlights included Rigor Mortis Radio” (a crunchy epic that somehow slowed things down 10-20 BPM while this humble reviewer’s heart still raced), “Paint A Picture” (a jangly, singalong anthem) and “Countdown To Shutdown” (a raw, fist-pumping mood elevator).
However, nothing topped their timeless smash “Tick Tick Boom” that closed the pre-encore portion of the evening. Toward the front of the crowd, a giddy jig circle (not a mosh pit!) formed and the concert turned into something more akin to a celebration than a mere concert. GA shows exist for for this very reason.
Not only did we feel like we were part of a live-wire crowd but The Hives also made the entire room feel like w were in the band. That’s a first.
This really wasn’t a spectator sport.
When the high-octane performance came to a close, Pelle and co. took a bow over a live version of Carly Simon’s twinkly ballad “Nobody Does It Better.”
A perfect cherry on top.
Final verdict: For two glorious hours, The Hives refused to phone it in for one second of their jubilant performance as they luxuriated in every moment they were onstage.
In turn, the ’00s veterans created a truly satisfying, unifying, communal experience that hurt my eardrums and left me hoarse after screaming along but…in a good way. This is how you get your face melted off.
Pelle’s fearless bravado making sure you’re getting every penny’s worth — he rightfully prances around like he’s the biggest star in the world as he’s tightly planned every moment of gleeful anarchy that make up their one-of-a-kind stage show that left the crowd hoeing down, jigging, jumping and with smiles stretching from ear to ear.
I was right. Cobbling together thoughts about this show really was silly. You really do have to see The Hives live to get the full experience.
The Hives tickets
Inventory to see The Hives live is available on all verified ticketing sites.
We recommend checking out StubHub, Ticketmaster and Vivid Seats to find the seats that makes the most sense for you.
The Hives tour schedule 2026
A complete calendar including all remaining North American tour dates, venues and links to buy tickets can be found below.
The Hives set list
According to Set List FM, here’s what The Hives took to the stage at Brooklyn Paramount on Wednesday, March 18.
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”
Encore
14.) “Legalize Living”
15.) “Bigger Hole to Fill”
16.) “The Hives Forever Forever The Hives”
The Hives new music
On Aug. 29, The Hives dropped their seventh studio album “The Hives Forever Forever The Hives.”
It’s a kick to the throat in the absolute best way.
Blasting out of the gate with the crunchy, fuzzy, jammy “Enough Is Enough,” the band makes a statement: strap in because we’re here to rock for 33 minutes.
That blistering intensity continues with the dance-y “Hooray Hooray Hooray,” epic call-and-response ready “Bad Call,” barroom brawl soundtrack “Paint A Picture,” 100 MPH scream-along “O.C.D.O.D.” and blissed-out (by The Hives’ standards) “Legalize Living.”
Things slow down for the somber, regal “(interlude)” before picking right back up with the the giddy “Roll Out The Red Carpet,” cowbell-enhanced, Steve Miller Band homage “Born A Rebel,” radio friendly “They Can’t Hear The Music” and chills-inducing anthem “Path Of Most Resistance.”
The show ends with the ebullient, celebratory title track “The Hives Forever Forever The Hives.”
What a rush. We’re still reeling from how much fun we had listening to the blown-out house party of an album The Hives have unleashed upon the world.
If you’d like to hear for yourself, you can listen to “The Hives Forever Forever The Hives” here.
The Chats
Supporting The Hives at all remaining U.S. shows will be the Aussie punk trio known for tracks with titles like “Smoko” and “Pub Feed.”
Formed in 2016, the group is made up of youngsters Josh Price, Matt Boggis and Eamon Sandwith and sound like Television meets Sex Pistols. They’re fun, angry and full of energy. If you’d like to take a walk through their discography, you can find The Chats’ entire back catalog here.
Live, they sound as defiant as they are angry and their cover of “The Ace Of Spades” was a full-on exhilarating cosmic blast that made us feel like an acne-ridden teen all over again.
They’re the rare opener that demands your attention. Show up on time to see them. They’re appointment viewing.
Huge rockers on tour in 2026
Many acts that will get your fists pumping, rumps bumping and feet jumping will be out and about these next few months.
Here are just five of our favorite party-starting rockers you won’t want to miss live in the near future.
• My Chemical Romance
• RUSH
• AC/DC
• Sex Pistols
• Yungblud
Who else is blasting out speakers at venues all over the country? Check out our list of all the biggest classic rockers on tour in 2026 to find the show for you.
This article was written by Matt Levy, New York Post live events reporter. Levy stays up-to-date on all the latest tour announcements from your favorite musical artists and comedians, as well as Broadway openings, sporting events and more live shows – and finds great ticket prices online. Since he started his tenure at the Post in 2022, Levy has reviewed a Bruce Springsteen concert and interviewed Melissa Villaseñor of SNL fame, to name a few. Please note that deals can expire, and all prices are subject to change.