Although Gene Simmons may have famously said (on more than one occasion) that rock and roll is dead, I am here to say that it’s not only alive, but it’s still kickin’ ass in the form of Monterrey, Mexico’s The Warning. And in case you needed proof, their sold-out show at the Fillmore Silver Spring brought receipts galore.

Now I’ve witnessed the energy of Dany (guitar/vocals), Ale (bass/vocals), and Pau (drums/vocals) Villarreal Vélez the last time they came through the area to Baltimore’s Rams Head Live, but seeing the trio again I got the immediate sense they’ve upped their game. But maybe I’m getting ahead of myself.

There are only a handful of shows I’ve seen at the Fillmore Silver Spring where the line was ridiculously long, but on Wednesday night it seemed to go on forever as fans of every stripe stretched down the block, across the street and then down another block.

I love seeing an opening act I’m totally unfamiliar with and coming out feeling like I’m witnessing the start of something great. The Santa Monica, California band, Speed Of Light – Cameron (guitar), Tyler (drums), and Riley (vocals/bass) – came to rock and really put on set full of charisma and heavy riffs.

As the lights dimmed before The Warning took the stage I did have the feeling right away that this was a different kind of set than I remember last time as the huge screen at the back of the stage began to project images of inky, amorphous blobs that coalesced into shapes and ultimately the form of a woman’s silhouette. And as the thundering opening riffs of “Six Feet Deep” from last year’s Keep Me Fed strobes lights thrummed and flashed.

The sheer energy coming off the stage was nearly tangible. Dany can go from a straight ahead rock vocal to a guttural scream in the matter of a single line all the while playing to the crowd.

But playing to the crowd wasn’t isolated to Dany as both Ale and Pau seemed to relish that reciprocal warmth coming from the dance floor as Pau pointed her sticks toward the crowd and Ale crouched and weaved to the rhythms.

Most of the set was dedicated to the band’s most recent record, 2024’s Keep Me Fed with a good chunk of the rest of the set being from their third LP, ERROR, and quite honestly the way these sisters have grown as not only songwriters but performers is incredible especially on those last two albums.

It was hard not to sing along even to one of the few Spanish-only songs of the set, “Qué Más Quieres” (the beautifully inspiring “MARTIRIO” being the other one in the regular set).

The trio worked best when, singing in perfect harmony, Dany, Pau, and Ale’s voices soar above the heavy, distorted guitars. Like being in the middle of the eye of a sonic storm, their voices seemed to rise above.

The Official Video for “Six Feet Under” by The Warning:

The Warning shows are a participatory event, as regularly Dany walked out to the edge of the stage with her wireless mic, holding it out as the whole place sang along.

The band wrapped up their regular set with the fast-paced “EVOLVE” before returning to encore with the “Narcisista,” a fiery song addressing the bands critics and one of my personal faves “Automatic Sun.”

The Warning continue to show how they’ve come to embody the enduring spirit of rock, and having the chance to witness them live is something not to take for granted as they are playing the US through the end of July.

The setlist included:

Six Feet Deep
S!CK
Satisfied
CHOKE
Qué Más Quieres
Escapism
Apologize
MORE
MONEY
Burnout
Sharks
Intro 404
DISCIPLE
Hell You Call a Dream
MARTIRIO
EVOLVE

Encore:
Narcisista
Automatic Sun

Here are more photos of The Warning rocking the Fillmore Silver Spring on July 16, 2025. All photos are copyright David LaMason:

And here are photos of Speed Of Light opening the evening at the Fillmore Silver Spring: