BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//wp-events-plugin.com//7.2.3.1//EN TZID:America/New_York X-WR-TIMEZONE:America/New_York BEGIN:VEVENT UID:852@jointherevolution.net DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260905T180000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260905T230000 DTSTAMP:20260428T183014Z URL:https://www.jointherevolution.net/concerts/citizen-presents-halcyon-bl ues/ SUMMARY:CITIZEN PRESENTS: HALCYON BLUES DESCRIPTION:17 years into an impressive career\, Citizen still feel like un derdogs who have never quite fit in. The band’s persistent sonic evoluti on and refusal to make the same record twice has earned them a reputation as one of the most consistently captivating bands in modern rock music. Bu t following your own path often means walking it alone\, and their unlikel y rise from a band of Toledo high schoolers to long-running headliners cap able of selling out shows around the world has been hard-earned. It's prec isely this commitment to their craft that has led to their new album\, Hal cyon Blues. It’s a dynamic and confident culmination of all that’s com e before\, making it crystal clear that for all their sonic restlessness\, Citizen have always known exactly who they are. From the start\, the band –vocalist Mat Kerekes\, guitarist Nick Hamm\, bassist Eric Hamm\, along with newer members guitarist Mason Mercer and drummer Ben Russin–were st eadfastly determined to follow their creativity wherever it led. Over the years they deftly moved through raw emo\, menacing post-hardcore\, anthemi c alternative\, garage-y indie pop\, and so much more. Now Halcyon Blues b rings elements from throughout their entire catalog together into a singul ar and instantly satisfying record that just sounds like Citizen. In the b and’s earlier years\, their sonic shifts were seen as a bug rather than a feature. “We’ve never easily known where we belong\,” explains Ker ekes. “When we were coming up we’d try to get tours and people would a sk verbatim\, ‘What kind of band is this?’ We were the ugly ducklings for a long time\, and maybe we still are\, but I like that we figured out how to stand on our own.” And the band has also stood the test of time. While many of their contemporaries from the 2010s emo boom burned bright b ut also quickly burned out\, Citizen’s singular focus on pushing themsel ves musically allowed them to grow steadily–and for their audience to gr ow with them. “A lot of bands try to do anything they can to be the hott est thing of the moment and we’ve just never operated like that\,” say s Nick Hamm. “We don't think in moments\, or months\, or record cycles. Some bands end up getting sick of whatever walls they exist in\, but I see Citizen as this long term creative project where there’s always somewhe re new to go\, and that’s kept me exhilarated through all these years. A nd we’ve trusted that people who like our band will want to come along. A lot of people grew with us and we’re really thankful for that. ”Wher e past Citizen albums have felt like direct responses to the preceding rel ease\, Halcyon Blues sounds like the group wrapping their arms around thei r entire catalog and carrying it forward. Recorded by Kerekes in his home studio in Toledo\, then mixed by Tom Lorde-Alge (U2\, Weezer\, Blink182)\, the record taps into the urgency and ferocity of Citizen’s early albums while embracing the epic scope and undeniable hooks of their more recent work. “I think the band is always in conversation with itself\, ”expla ins Hamm. “Early on we tried to set it up so that Citizen could be whate ver we want it to be\, so we’ve always been ready and willing for the mu sic to change as we change as people. But at the end of the day we are sti ll the same people making music together\, the same people that made Youth and all the rest. ”Being those people hasn’t always been easy\, for K erekes in particular\, and Halcyon Blues finds him simultaneously reckonin g with personal upheaval while finding a sense of security within the band for the first time. “When you're doing what you always dreamed of doing \, you really don't understand why it’s not always fulfilling\,” he ex plains. “There’s been times where I've thought about leaving the band\ , but the Youth anniversary shows were a real gamechanger for me. I would walk out on stage and look out at the front row and see people’s faces t hat I recognized because they’ve been coming to Citizen shows for a deca de. It made me sort of feel like this is the coolest thing ever. Why would I even for a second not be stoked on it? From that moment on I've just be en all in. This is who I am and this is what I do.”Kerekes’ self-assur edness with his role in the band contrasts the uncertainty that permeates Halcyon Blues’ lyrics. “It’s about unexpected change\,” he says. “You think you know everything\, you think you have everything figured o ut\, and then all of the sudden you don’t. Everything’s different\, fo r better and for worse. Sometimes it’s really hard but ultimately it mig ht be for the best. ”The opening salvo of “Good Fortune” and “I Ca n See You from Here” explode from the speakers\, introducing the record ’s blend of technicolor sound and melancholic themes. These are huge roc k songs with fittingly huge emotions\, but the youthful frustration of Cit izen’s early work has grown up too\, replaced by a more nuanced\, though no less cutting\, adult perspective. “The album sounds sad but it’s n ot necessarily like that\,” says Kerekes.“Sometimes coming of age thin gs are bittersweet\, and this is sort of like that too.” Mid-album stand out “Always The Last One To Leave” offers one of the most sweeping bal lads Citizen have ever penned\, while scorching tracks like “Matador” or “Smooth Talker” tap into pent up resentment with cathartic results. “Highs and Lows” pushes the band’s sound to truly astounding height s\, a soaring alternative song driven by propulsive drums\, a towering cho rus melody\, and synth strings that draw the listener into Kerekes’ emot ionally raw storytelling. As the cinematic “Anne” closes out Halcyon B lues\, it’s clear that Citizen have truly arrived. “I never imagined w e’d play shows to several hundred people\, let alone thousands\,” says Hamm. “We never had that red-hot rocketship thing\, but we always did w hat we wanted to do and we had a feeling that if we kept doing it\, then e ventually everything else would come together. Maybe we’ve started to co me to that point. ”This is the sound of nearly two decades of musical an d personal experience combined into a declaration of something their dedic ated fans already know: Citizen is one of our great modern rock bands–an d they’re at the absolute top of their game. ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.jointherevolution.net/wp-content/upl oads/2026/04/Static_Print_4x6_Citizen_2026_Regional_RevolutionLive_0905-pd f.jpg CATEGORIES:All Ages,Concerts,Events LOCATION:Revolution Live\, 100 SW 3rd Ave.\, Fort Lauderdale\, FL\, 33312\, United States GEO:26.121358;-80.1461974 X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=100 SW 3rd Ave.\, Fort Laud erdale\, FL\, 33312\, United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=100;X-TITLE=Revolution Live:geo:26.121358,-80.1461974 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/New_York X-LIC-LOCATION:America/New_York BEGIN:DAYLIGHT DTSTART:20260308T030000 TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT END:DAYLIGHT END:VTIMEZONE END:VCALENDAR