By Charlie G. Patreus
Active Rock band Citizen Soldier is a force to be reckoned with. Capitalizing on viral TikTok success with slick branding, heavy hooks, and sincere messaging around mental and emotional health, they’ve become one of the most-streamed bands in Utah. That success has extended well beyond state boundaries, as evidenced by fan reception to their latest tour and a whopping 1.1 million monthly listeners on Spotify.
Citizen Soldier has 11 dates scheduled between now and the end of October. Beginning in Provo, the band will play through the midwest and east coast. Four shows have already sold out, and four more have extremely low availability and will likely sell out as well. Two of the sold out shows are here in town: the band played to a sold out crowd at Velour Live Music Gallery on Saturday, September 16, and will play to another sold out crowd on Monday, September 18.
A stripped down acoustic tour, this trip around the country provides a unique VIP experience for the earliest Citizen Soldier fans. Once the tour concludes, the group will graduate from 300-400 person rooms to much larger venues to accommodate their powerful, anthemic full band shows and growing demand.
The band will play Denver, Colorado tonight. Provo pop/punk band Hollow Hill is opening for Citizen Soldier in both Denver and for their two Provo shows. The group recently released a new single called “Hold My Tongue” on Friday.
During a set break in the middle of last night’s show, lead singer Jake Segura and bassist/keyboardist Wonitta remained on stage and slowed things down as a duo. The rest of Citizen Soldier stepped backstage, trying to contain tears. “The emotion in this room is unreal,” they said. “It’s almost too much. This is such a special experience.”
Fans stuck around after the show to share their favorite song lyrics, give band members personalized gifts, and show off Citizen Soldier tattoos. One fan even flew to Utah from France to meet his favorite band and express his appreciation for their music. The band stuck around for hours after the show to talk with fans and hear their stories – even after just spending hours before the show with them for a meet and greet. It was a deeply emotional, personal, and incredibly wholesome atmosphere.
I’d encourage you to go see Citizen Soldier tomorrow night, but you can’t. So make sure to follow them on Instagram and catch their next Utah show after this tour. Until then, you can listen to their song “Reason to Live” below.