The Hives Will Wake Up Super Early for Virtual ‘World Tour’

The Hives have planned a tour that will bring them to New York, Sydney, and São Paulo, among other cities, next month — all without leaving Sweden.

Rather than plan a universal livestream that people all over the world can watch at the same time, the band has decided to play six unique shows that will take place during the evening hours of the preferred city. That means they’ll be waking up extra early for the Australian gig. They’ve dubbed the virtual jaunt the World’s First World Wide Web World Tour. Tickets are available via the band’s website.

To make the shows feel more like a “real gig,” the streaming platform will allow fans to send audio messages to the band in real-time. The Hives will also take telephone calls and allow concertgoers to vote on the setlists. And they’re taking extra steps to make the shows feel more regional. “We will use crowd noise recorded in the very same city we are playing for,” the group said in a statement. “The New York show will have real New Yorkians cheering and screaming in the background. The Sydney show will have actual Sydneyans, and Berlin bang-on bonafide Berlinus berlinus, and so forth.” Curiously absent on their list of at-home accommodations is the scent of stale beer.

“No one has ever done it like this before,” the Hives said. “It’s a historical first and we hope many artists follow.”

Nashville is noticeably absent on the list of cities the band targeted on the tour. Perhaps that’s because a few months back, the Hives put out Live at Third Man Records, a concert recording of the gig they played in the Blue Room of the label’s Music City headquarters. The band teased the release with audio of “Hate to Say I Told You So.”

The World’s First World Wide Web World Tour 

January 21 Berlin 20:00 CET
January 22 London 8:00 p.m. GMT
January 23 New York 7:00 p.m. ET
January 28 Sydney 9:00 p.m. AEDT
January 29 São Paulo 20:00 BRT
January 30 Stockholm 20:00 CET