In shades and sparkly tight slacks worn under a long brocade coat that she occasionally kicked with a high-heeled glass slipper, the Beehive Queen was a sight to see. Backed by Rebel Montez, a trio of musicians sporting a cowboy hat, a fez and a fedora, respectively, she took the packed house in this small club on a two-hour thrill ride. But the band’s eye-catching presentation was only the start of this Hive experience. From her achingly soulful rendition of “That’s How Strong My Love Is” that opened the show through another 17 songs and two encores—most from her recent release The Deep End—Ohlman’s powerful singing and rhythm guitar and the band’s tight musicianship never flagged.

Notable moments included her tribute to Erma Franklin’s original version of “Piece of My Heart,” the highly provocative “Strip,” a rocking version of Buddy Holly’s “Not Fade Away” and her own “Love Make You Do Stupid Things.” Introducing “The Cradle Did Rock,” her poignant song about New Orleans in the aftermath of the hurricane, she urged support for the New Orleans Musicians’ Clinic, which provides health care and other social services to more than 2,000 musicians. Despite a cheering audience asking for more, she finally wrapped it up with a barn burner from the latest record, “Born to Be Together.”

—Kay Cordtz

Photos by Catherine Sebastian/ CSP Images