The Hives, Snooper
September 16, 2025
Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver, BC
On September 16th, Swedish garage rock band The Hives lit up the Commodore Ballroom
with their sold-out high-energy show. The band is touring, supporting their seventh studio
album, The Hives Forever Forever The Hives. They mixed in a few fresh tracks and, of
course, played their hits, which got the sold-out crowd electric. The show never had a dull
moment, with the crowd in awe as the band ripped through a 17-song set.
Opening the show was a punk band from Nashville, Snooper. The band’s high-energy punk
drumming and power chords brought the energy into the room. Vocalist Blair Tramel’s
powerful vocals echoed through the venue, and her animated and exuberant movements fit
the punk rock outfit. During their last song of their set, Tramel could be seen exiting the
stage, until a person wearing a green papier-mache bed bug could be seen dancing and
interacting with the crowd. As the song ended, the costume came off, and it was revealed
that it was Tramel herself.
Around 9 pm, the lights dimmed, and cheers erupted from the audience as The Hives took to the stage. The band launched into “Enough Is Enough”, “Walk Idiot Walk,” and “Rigor Mortis
Radio.” Frontman Pelle Almqvist and lead guitarist Nicholaus Arson took turns interacting
with the audience, hopping down and climbing the barricades. By the end of the first three
songs, Almqvist joked with the crowd how sweaty and humid the Commodore Ballroom was.
Halfway through the set, The Hives launched into their internationally known signature song,
“Hate to Say I Told You So.” An unexpected curveball that surprised the audience, and
instantly, all eyes were drawn to the stage. The thunderous guitar riff soared through the
venue as the crowd surfing and moshing began. During the third verse, the crowd began
chanting the bassline before launching back into the outro. It speaks to the impact of this
song when the crowd can sing along in unison without any vocals.
Almqvist carried the energy throughout the whole show and had the crowd in the palm of his
hand. From telling stories, jokes, and crowd participation, he embodied every aspect of an
entertaining frontman. Not to mention his stage presence, jumping off speakers, acrobatic
leg kicks and ventures into the crowd. The band was tight, with Nicholaus Arson and
Vigilante Carlstroem’s crunchy guitar tones, Dr. Matt Destruction holding it down on bass,
and Chris Dangerous’ tight drum parts. The band was dressed in their signature black
western-themed suits with white trim, which made everything they did that much more
impressive.
The Hives ended their main set by pulling out the pin and throwing the grenade. Almqvist got the crowd going by chanting “tick, tick, tick, tick” before launching into their hit, “Tick Tick
Boom”. The frontman had the audience shout “but it’s too late” in the bridge before jumping
off a speaker, joining back into the song. As the band left and reappeared on stage for the encore, drummer Chris Dangerous egged on the crowd, getting them to chant “One more song!” “Two more songs!”, “Three more songs!”. The Hives performed “Legalize Living”, “Bigger Hole To Fill”, and “The Hives Forever Forever The Hives”.
The Hives have garnered a reputation for being one of the best live bands in the world. In
2025, 28 years after their debut album, the band is better than ever. As their last song
echoed through the venue, fans chanted “The Hives Forever Forever The Hives” in unison. It
was truly a celebration of the band and their decades of music.
The fourth song of the set premiered another new song, “Paint a Picture”. The song almost
has a rally cry chorus with the whole venue singing in unison, “Oh, let me paint a picture,
I ain’t no f*cking slob, oh, let me paint a picture, more like a f*cking god to you”. Towards the
end of the song, the band all froze in place with their instruments. Cheers echoed back to
the stage, and after what felt like two minutes, the band kicked back into the song.
