SAN FRANCISCO — Playing on the opening night of their tour, as well as the release day of their brand new single “Planet Zero,” Florida rockers Shinedown somehow packed an arena’s worth of production into the Warfield. So much so that at multiple points during the band’s 100 minute set this reviewer asked himself, “Are they allowed to do that in here?”

Brent Smith and co. brought all the fire power of pyrotechnics to large projection screens and laser lights. But the most important fire power the band brought was of the musical variety, playing an excellent focused set of anthemic hard rock. Shinedown has gotten better with age; every aspect of the band’s performance has continued to grow and develop from tour to tour. Brent Smith has also grown as a frontman into one of the most exciting performers in rock. On Wednesday he carried himself with a welcoming confidence and invited the audience with him.

Opening with a raucous “Cut the Cord,” the Shinedown started off heavy but actually saved most of the surprises for later in the set. The band followed up with “Unity,” a message that became of the unofficial mantra of the evening.

“I want everyone to look to their left and to their right,” Smith said early on in the set, asking the audience to greet each other with a handshake or a high-five. Smith would remind fans throughout the night to live in the moment and engage in the collective experience with those around them.

The pace picked up for “Fly From the Inside,” from the band’s debut record, with flashing strobes illuminating the entirety of the theater. The near-capacity crowd returned the love right back on songs like “State of My Head” and “45.”

“If You Only Knew” and “Diamond Eyes (Boom-Lay Boom-Lay Boom)” were marked by large fireworks explosions of all different varieties, rumbling the ground and letting much of the crowd feel the heat. The band’s set would have been just as entertaining without the explosive extras, but their addition elevated things to another level.

The band debuted “Planet Zero” without warning, diving straight into the song without giving an introduction. The performance was strong and Smith’s voice really cut through. In some ways, the song continues where the band left of with Attention, Attention, as it decries the societal dependance on social media. The crowd once again sang along to every word with Smith on ballad “I’ll Follow You,” with bassist Eric Bass taking his turn behind the keys.

Hard-rocker “Enemies” has become a staple of the band’s set, with Smith urging—then demanding—everyone jump for the heavy intro.

“This building was built in 1920,” he said. “All of those spirits are here with us tonight.”

The track was bookended by another rocker in “Devil,” before things slowed down briefly for ballads “How Did You Love” and “Get Up.” On the latter, Smith spoke to the importance of the song to the Attention, Attention record, saying if Shinedown hadn’t written it, the band wouldn’t have had the vision of what the remainder of the album would become. Smith seemed to get choked up as he talked about the past two years, and getting back on stage, as well as thanking the crew for their dedication.

“Don’t ever forget who you are, you’re an individual,” he said. “You’re a member of the human race.”

Smith halted the show after “Get Up” to let security remove a clearly intoxicated man following an altercation. It wasn’t quite clear what led up to the moment, but Smith took extra care to check in with the crowd and make sure everyone in the vicinity was good.

“Well, we didn’t plan it this way, but this next song is pretty fitting,” he said coyly as the band launched into anthemic hard rocker “Bully,” followed by “Monsters.”

The band finished off the show with a trio of its biggest hits, and fans obliged in singing along on “Second Chance,” Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Simple Man,” and the spectacular “Sound of Madness.”

“We realized just how long it’s been since we last played San Francisco,” guitarist Zach Myers said in the waning moments. “We promise we won’t wait that long next time.”

In the age of YouTube and Spotify, it’s difficult to be surprised by an opening act, but guitarist Ayron Jones did just that. Jones strolled on stage with little fanfare or build-up. He simply plugged in his guitar and launched into blues rocker “Boys From The Puget Sound.” His set was masterful and truly a joy to behold. Think if Jimi Hendrix grew up listening to Nirvana and Soundgarden. Jones and his three-member band absolutely electrified the crowd on tracks like “Supercharged” and “Mercy.”

Ayron Jones even played a cover of Nirvana’s “Breed,” which featured his bassist hopping up onto a giant monitor. Jones only said a few words between songs, but all of the speaking he needed to do came from the six strings on his guitar. Whether the crowd was familiar with his music became irrelevant because he won people over like few openers can these days.

Between the joy of his bandmates to his impressive chops on the guitar, it’s clear he’ll soon be a household name.

Follow writer Mike DeWald at Twitter.com/mike_dewald. Follow photographer Nathan McKinley at Instagram.com/memories.by.mckinley.