The Sounds frontwoman Maja Ivarsson doesn’t need the hot pants and high heels that are her trademark schtick: she’s a dynamic, engaging performer regardless of what she’s wearing. The energy that she brought to the 9:30 Club last night more than made up for a few vocal misfires.

Quote of the night: “Oh my god, don’t you just want to have sex with them?” from an enthusiastic female fan to a 9:30 Club staff member.

More photos after the jump and at the full gallery.

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Some 14 years after their first big hit, No Doubt is still a far bigger draw than I would have imagined, nearly selling out the 25,000-capacity Nissan Pavilion. After watching their stage show, that fact becomes a bit more comprehensible: these are incredibly professional entertainers with hit song after hit song after hit song to draw from. And they treat their fans well, particularly one whom Gwen Stefani pulled up onstage for a hug and a quick photo of the two of them with tens of thousands of cheering fans in the background.

Paramore, who in a lot of ways are the new generation’s version of No Doubt—complete with their own rabid and rapidly expanding fan base— were a fitting opener alongside Swedish new-wavers The Sounds.

Check out more photos after the jump or the full gallery at Flickr.

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