I have had a soft spot for Maggie Rogers ever since I saw her open for Kacey Musgraves on the "Oh What a World II Tour" in late 2019. I thought she was a captivating performer - she seemed to be in her own little world as she frolicked about the stage. Not too long afterwards, during the height of the pandemic, hers was one of about five NPR Tiny Desk Concerts on a near-constant rotation in my house.
Since then, however, her music has been a little bit difficult for me to revisit. In recent years, as much as I still wanted to dance around the living room to hits like “Alaska,” as soon as those distinctive opening notes would play, I was suddenly 16 again in the middle of a nightmarish global health crisis.
All this aside, I have never been one to turn down a concert. So when a friend invited me to go see Maggie headline Bridgestone Arena for her birthday, there was never any answer but yes - and never in my life have I been happier about a decision!
The show was nothing short of stellar from beginning to end. The evening started with an excellent opening act by Ryan Beatty, who performed the majority of his set wearing headphones, eyes closed, sitting on a tree trunk. While the conventional role of an opening act is to pump up the audience, I would say that Beatty cozied the crowd that night.
People weren’t necessarily up and dancing during his performance, but they were on the edge of their seats, listening intently as his heartfelt lyrics hung in the air. I’ve seen quite a few shows at Bridgestone, and they’ve all been fantastic, but none have ever made the arena feel intimate in the way that this one did.
After emerging from a trap door at the end of the stage’s catwalk, Rogers performed her first dozen songs with a kind of fire that had the crowd in the palm of her hand from the get-go. She hit impossibly high notes with ease, let out belts with a richness that you could feel in the stadium’s atmosphere - all while strutting up and down the catwalk and dancing so freely and wildly that you would think she was just in her living room rather than in front of a crowd of thousands. I could see elements of her 2019 performance, I could see that she still performed in her own world, but this time it was as though she was inviting us into it.
My favorite part of the evening came after the twelfth song - “If Now Was Then.” After the song closed, the stage went black as a voiceover played of Maggie describing her adapting to the limelight. It was honest and raw and felt like we were getting to read a page out of her diary.
This interlude transitioned itself into an acoustic set of songs with just Maggie and her piano at the foot of the stage where she talked a lot with the audience, reminiscing on her early shows in Nashville and her first time at Bridgestone that infamous 2019 night. The scene almost felt like we caught her in the middle of a recording session or just noodling around with friends.
At an audience member’s request she played “James” - a song she “hadn’t thought about in twelve years,” which was a real treat to her most loyal fans to get to hear live, and for casual listeners (like myself) to get to know. This laid-back portion of the show ended with an acoustic version of “Alaska,” which totally transformed the song for me - closing the chapter on pandemic flashbacks. Now it will always remind me of that spectacular night and seeing it live, and I am so happy to have turned the page with that particular tune.
There were still three songs remaining in her set, and each was killer, but none more so than “Light On” - one of Maggie’s biggest hits and the closer of the show. Dancing and twirling up and down the catwalk in a sequin dress under heaps of confetti - the number left me with the same kind of optimistic flutter in my heart only comparable to watching the Times Square ball drop that signals a new year, and a new beginning.
After an encore of “Don’t Forget Me,” (it was the Don’t Forget Me Tour after all), I left the concert with a newfound appreciation for the singer/songwriter. It’s a bizarre sensation to feel so proud of someone that you don’t even know, but walking home - that’s what I felt for Maggie. Proud of how far she’s come and how hard she’s worked to get here. Proud of how open and honest she was with her audience that night.
And above all else, so grateful that I was there to experience it.
Rogers is a powerhouse - an excellent songwriter and performer with a voice unlike any other I have ever heard - and to have seen this particular show is a gift that I will hold dear for a long time.
