The Hives just completed a short run of three sold-out shows in California to debut songs off of their upcoming album, “The Death of Randy Fitzsimmons.” After two Los Angeles dates, they stopped in Pomona for another intimate show.
When I arrived at The Glass House, the line to enter was all the way down the block. As soon as the doors opened, fans rushed inside to claim their spot in front of the stage to be up close and personal with the Swedish rockers.
THE GLASS HOUSE
May 11th, 2023
Pomona, California
The Hives’ forthcoming album is actually a pseudonym for guitarist Nicholaus Arson, as well as the rumored “6th Hive” that is credited on all of their albums as the songwriter. Randy Fitzsimmons is most likely a fictional character, but The Hives still claim he is real. Singer Howlin’ Pelle Almqvist has proclaimed “The Death of Randy Fitzsimmons“ will be an award-winning record, and after its August 11th release, we will see if that comes to fruition. Having seen the band play a few of those new songs, I can tell you that prediction seems possible. Plus “Bogus Operandi” has been stuck in my head ever since the show.
The Hives first became popular in the early 2000s with the smash hit “Hate to Say I Told You So” off the album “Veni Vidi Vicious.” They quickly gained fans that fell in love with their highly-energetic live performances and Almqvist’s mixture of shit-talking and comedy in between singing. Along with Almqvist and Arson, The Hives are Vigilante Carlstroem on guitar, Chris Dangerous on drums, and The Johan and Only on bass. The band has a signature look of matching tuxedos, and for the Pomona show, their ensembles glowed in the dark, which caused the crowd to go crazy.
There was no opening band: The Hives just exploded onto the stage at 9 p.m. and exited with just as much enthusiasm at 10 p.m. It was quite the power punch; an hour of hits and new songs spent mostly with Almqvist jumping in the air, throwing the microphone, and diving into the crowd. The crowd were hugging him and holding his hands as he passed through them. He even sang a bit from the sound booth. Always the showman, Almqvist kept opening his shirt, showing off his chest and drawing a heart with his hands. His brother, guitarist Arson, was making his signature funny faces at the crowd and bugging his eyes out of his head. He also flicked guitar picks into the crowd.
The Hives had a nice set of tracks, including “Bogus Operandi,” “Main Offender,” “Rigor Mortis,” “Good Samaritan,” “Stick Up,” “Hate To Say I Told You So,” “Countdown to Shutdown,” “Come On,” and “Tick Tick Boom.”
The Hives are headed to Europe for a full summer of dates, but return to the States at the end of October. SoCal residents can catch them November 13th at Belly Up Tavern in San Diego or November 14th at Belasco Theatre in LA. Make sure you check them out when you have the chance!
