The Warning photographed outside Cornerstone in Berkeley on April 19, 2022. Nate McKinley/STAFF.

BERKELEY — For most bands, it would be enough of a feat to embark on your own headlining tour, selling out clubs throughout the U.S. But for Monterrey, Mexico rock and roll sister trio The Warning, the party is just getting started. As the band winds down its headlining Mayday Tour, the trio will continue to hit the road hard for the remainder of the year alongside some of the biggest names in modern rock like Halestorm, The Pretty Reckless, Three Days Grace and Stone Temple Pilots.

“After two years of not doing this, we’re at 100 percent of energy to tour and see everything,” vocalist and guitarist Dany Villarreal said. “It’s exciting for us to finally be able to visit our fans where they live. It’s just amazing.”

To see The Warning live is to become a disciple. The band taps into the rock and roll energy and musicianship of a bygone era while infusing a fresh, youthful perspective and personality. Based on the Mayday Tour—which included a show at The Cornerstone in Berkeley—it’s easy to get the sense that those shows may be the last opportunity to see the band in such intimate venues.

The Warning on their tour bus in Berkeley, on April 19, 2022.

The Warning already have two full-length records to their name, with a third (the full Mayday LP) being split into two EP releases. Part no. 2 is on the way. The pandemic only delayed the inevitable breakthrough of a band bound for big things.

Earlier this year, The Warning was direct support for the Foo Fighters at the largest concert venue in Mexico—the 65,000-capacity Foro Sol in Mexico City.

“To open for the Foo Fighters, which is a band that has inspired us throughout our whole careers, and just to able to be on that stage with them; it was just a dream come true,” drummer Paulina “Pau” Villarreal said.

The Warning.

“I remember it, and I still get chills,” Dany Villarreal added.

That gig in particular carries an added weight and significance for the band—it was the Foo Fighters’ final non-festival gig with the late drummer Taylor Hawkins. The trio shared a moment with the Foos as they made their way to the stage, with both Dave Grohl and Hawkins offering an enthusiastic endorsement of The Warning. It’s a memory the band members say will forever stay with them, especially for drummer Pau Villarreal, who said Hawkins’ death weighed heavy on them.

“It was shocking for all of us; we had just met him 10 days before. It really left us heartbroken and shocked,” Pau Villarreal. “I feel very fortunate that we were able to meet him and see him play live—he was just absolutely amazing and mind-blowing.”

The Foo Fighters aren’t the only rock royalty with which The Warning has rubbed elbows. The band collaborated with singer Alessia Cara on a cover of “Enter Sandman” for The Metallica Blacklist project. It became the collection’s opening song. The band took a risk, of sorts, choosing not to build the song around the iconic guitar riff, opting instead to create a brooding and melodic mid-tempo rocker.

“The process of creating the song was so fast—the writing, recording, mixing and mastering was all done in a week,” Dany Villarreal said. “The only instructions we had were that we could do anything we want with [the cover]; just stick with the lyrics.”

The pandemic also created a unique challenge of bringing together the collaboration.

“As we worked out the arrangement, we also had to have these conversations with Alessia, who was based in Canada,” Paulina Villarreal said.

The band is currently supporting its latest single, “MONEY,” the first release of the second phase of Mayday tracks. Along with tours, the band also has plenty of gigs at festivals lined up across the country, including Sacramento’s annual Aftershock fest. The band says it has been excited by the enthusiasm from other artists as they become more accepted into the hard rock scene. The group especially recalls running into rock heavyweights Disturbed at Welcome to Rockville.

“We love that; we feel a lot more included in the music industry scene now that we’re just kinda popping in, saying ‘hi’ and playing a show here and there,” Dany Villarreal said.

For a band on the verge of making it big, the opportunity to learn the ropes from stablished artists is a privilege.

“It’s really nice to feel supported because we’re a really young band,” Paulina Villareal said. “But it’s rock and roll; everyone is really into it.”

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