North Carolina band Wednesday brought raw, emotional rock to the Fox Theatre on Saturday night, a month after releasing their new album Bleeds on Dead Oceans. The Oakland crowd waited in anticipation, and when the band took the stage, they commanded the room, drawing everyone fully into their orbit.

The night opened with a set from Friendship, a Philadelphia-based band whose sound carried the same poetic melancholy that once defined David Berman’s work. Their music was calm but deeply personal—songs that settled quietly into the space, setting the tone for what was to come.

When Wednesday appeared, the shift was powerful. They began with “Reality TV Show Bleeds,” the opening track from their new record, easing the audience in before turning up the volume. The setlist moved fluidly between Bleeds and Rat Saw God, a perfect balance of newer material and songs that first defined their sound.

Midway through the show, lead singer Karly Hartzman smiled at the crowd and announced that after one last slow song, they were going to "go insane.” The audience cheered, and from that point forward, the band unleashed an unrelenting wave of energy. Hartzman later invited Dan from Friendship onstage for “Phish Pepsi,” a tender and lighthearted moment that reflected the affectionate bond between the artists.

Hartzman held the stage throughout—her voice powerful, shifting seamlessly from raw grit to near-breaking emotion. Every lyric felt immediate, lived, and intensely personal.

Wednesday closed the night with “Bull Believer,” their signature blend of distortion and catharsis echoing through the venue long after the final note. The performance solidified how Bleeds—their most recent album—is a record fully attuned to who they are as musicians. Every riff, lyric, and vocal inflection reinforced a band in complete command of their sound and identity.