Like yin and yang The Donna’s and The Hives are a perfect live music duo. Both exhibit extreme personalities and know how to work a crowd. Well that is not quite true of the Donna’s, though it is not entirely their fault. Girl power is such a niche genre in rock that not everyone can relate to it. Let’s face it, in a crowded co-ed concert not many of the guys are going to be head banging to the pop song “Girls Rule”. Some did dance, but many probably felt awkward about it.
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The Hives/The Donnas
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 Entertainment
 Art
Rivera Theatre
Chicago, Ill.
March 29, 2008
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Regardless of the sexual divide, The Donna’s know their shit. In studio, they sound like a female version of the Ramone’s, but live somehow exude more of a pop rock sensibility. Given that the average age of most audience members was around 15 though, it is no surprise that the Donna’s put themselves through the Disney filter. Many in the audience came with their parents, most on hand to make sure they kept their curfew.
The entire vibe changed the moment the Hives took the stage, the native Swedes grabbed the audience and never once let go. The band played hard and fast and the audience reacted in kind. By the second song, a massive mosh pit had erupted in the middle of the main floor and people were crowd surfing their way up to the stage.
To call The Hives attention hungry would be an understatement. They thrive on appreciation far more than any band out there, and are not afraid to flaunt it. Near the end of the show, the band simply froze mid-song and stared directly at the audience refusing to play till applause reached its peak. After two minutes straight of high intensity applause, did the band start playing again. The effect was intense and explosive. Make the audience beg for your music and they will want it even more.
Lead singer Pelle Almqvist defiantly draws his inspiration from the Mick Jagger school of rock. Strutting and posing like a fashion model on stage, Almqvist slowly undressed himself as the night went on. Almqvist went to the very edge of the stage many times throughout the night, where he could literally feel the love of the audience. Every teenage girl in the room wanted to touch him and many got the chance. But, like many aspects of the night, he pulled back just before entering rated R territory.
By the end of the night, for good or for bad, The Donna’s were just a faded memory. The Hives upped the ante in many ways, leaving the talented Donna’s in the dust. Both musically and thematically, the night belonged to the Swedes.
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