BERKELEY — Relentlessly touring quartet Rise Against has been doing something new on its current trek: playing intimate rooms. The UC Theatre in Berkeley, on Tuesday, was easily the coziest room in the Bay Area that the rockers have played in years.

The performance was also more fluid. The hits made the setlist, but the band also dusted off deep cuts and, as has been try case elsewhere, changed up the order of the songs. The intimate setting evoked the band’s early punk days. Still, the band packed in as much of its arena-sized lighting and production as it could. Rise Against hasn’t released an album since 2021’s Nowhere Generation, which allowed more room to dig into older material.

“Riddle me this: Is this the first Rise Against show in Berkeley, California?” vocalist and guitarist Tim Mcllrath asked early on.

Indeed, it was.

Rise Against opened with “Satellite,” which got a circle pit moving. It would remain for most of the 90-minute set. Mcllrath grabbed a megaphone to sing the final chorus along with the crowd.

“It’s 2024, which means it’s the 20-year anniversary of our album Siren Song of the Counter Culture,” he said, noting that older tracks would be mixed in throughout the night.

He then turned the clock back even further.

“This song is from Revolutions Per Minute, released on Fat Records in San Francisco,” he announced.

The band bounced back and forth between singalong hits and early mosh-pit-inducing punk tunes.

“This song is about mother nature and how she always fucking wins,” he said of the socially conscious “Help is on the Way.”

The momentum kept going with “Blood to Bleed” and heavy-hitter “The Good Left Undone.”

“I’m pretty sure this is the first time we’ve ever played this song in the Bay Area,” said Mcllrath before the band started up on “The Strength to Go On.”

Guitarist Zach Blair added blistering guitar solos on some extended jams while bassist Joe Principe and drummer Brandon Barnes kept the rhythm section rolling. Mcllrath didn’t delve into politics—the songs spoke for themselves—other than about the origins of “People Live Here,” about finding disbelief and frustration in the news and national discourse.

He also called out two attendees arguing toward the front of the pit.

“You can’t stir up stuff during the acoustic songs!” he yelled, with a smile. “I can’t tell if you’re fighting or looking for your glasses. Don’t make me turn this car around!”

The heavy stuff returned for the final stretch with “The Violence” and “Prayer of the Refugee.” Mcllrath paid tribute to the Bay Area and the punk bands that influenced his own.

“We’ve been playing the Bay Area for a long time, but we’ve been listening to the bands that come from here a lot longer,” he said. “Without those bands, a band like Rise Against doesn’t exist.”

He also dedicated “Long Forgotten Sons” to the members of LS Dunes, most of whom Rise Against has been touring with in various capacities for years.

Rise Against returned from an encore break to perform fan favorites “Audience of One” and “Savior”—the latter getting the biggest crowd response of the night—as well as the deep cut “Black Masks & Gasoline.”

L.S. Dunes, a veritable all-star team of emo and hardcore rockers—members of My Chemical Romance, Coheed & Cambria, Thursday, Circa Survive and more—preceded the headliners.

Vocalist Anthony Green downplayed the talent onstage.

“We’re just a bunch of pals who have known each other for a long time,” he said. “We’re all very lucky to be able to play these songs for you.”

The band’s set bounced back and forth between aggressive screamo songs and groove-heavy melodic rock. Green’s voice was up to the task, pushing the pace or staying in the pocket. Whatever a song called for, he had it in him. He was a magnetic frontman, charismatic and unrelenting. Guitarist Frank Iero laid down the riffs while Travis Stever added the atmosphere.

The band opened with “2022” and tore through tracks like “Gray Veins” and “Machines,” Green chatting with attendees between songs.

“You feels so low and far away,” he commented about performing on the room’s tall stage. “I feel disproportionally disconnected by time and space.”

Fans appeared to appreciate closing tracks “Past Lives” and “Fatal Deluxe” the most.

Opener Cloud Nothings combined a unique mix of styles during a 30-minute set, from psych rock to grunge and punk. At times, the trio would launch into an extended noisy jam. The band’s dramatic outro was impressive, with the music slowly gaining momentum until it formed an all-out aural assault.

Follow writer Mike DeWald at mikedewald.bsky.social.