February 16, 2023

Maggie Rogers played Radio City Music Hall


In support of last year's underrated album Surrender, Maggie Rogers played to a sold-out Radio City Music Hall.

With two albums under her belt, Maggie Rogers has graduated from indie folk newcomer to a full-blown superstar, blurring the lines of rock and roll with pop into something that feels distinctly all her own. Taking the stage with a six-piece band, she immediately held the legendary venue in the palm of her hand and she spent the night sprinting from one end to the other, boogieing the night away with major success. "Overdrive" kicked off the evening and slowly pumped up the crowd before she exploded with last year's awesome single "Want Want," setting off a seismic shift that set the course for the rest of the night. Belting her lungs out, her voice was in supreme form for this performance, taking no time to rest and still not losing her wind, her massive talent sounded even more massive while taking up the entire room. Her delivery was incredible and witnessing her own enthusiasm was a total joy as she soaked up every second of the night with unbridled euphoria. "Shatter" was an all-out barn-buster, her giant lighting screen illuminating behind her and amping up the energy as she somehow unleashed even more expressive dance moves while covering maximal ground across the stage. Probably the most intense moment of the night that hit an explosive peak, it was wild to see her carry such passion with extreme control and still give in to the moment. "Begging for Rain" slowed things down a bit and provided a calm, serene reset that still allowed her to showcase her vocal work all on its own, the dramatic guitar taking the back seat to her powerful pipes. She restarted "Be Cool" during the first verse after the audience hung in a bit of a daze and got the theatre pumped up again for the back-half of her set. Throughout the night she touched upon her fondness for Radio City in general, as it was the site of her college graduation and one of her earliest performances. To witness her back in this room again really felt special and it was apparent throughout that this was not a night lost on her. She took things down again for a raw rendition of "I've Got a Friend," which she also had to restart after she skipped the Robert Pattinson verse, but picked things up again with stellar support from the crowd. "Alaska" also got a major response, her original single sounding just as strong as anything else in her repertoire, setting emotions aflame with its shimmering chorus. "For one night only," she stated before her next song, "David Byrne!" It felt out of nowhere, but hearing Rogers introduce the Talking Heads frontman to rapturous applause was another monumental highlight and perhaps the absolute pinnacle of the evening. Covering Byrne's own "Strange Overtones," the duo were a great pair, Maggie donning a blazer (which I assume was done in tribute to Stop Making Sense) while appearing in total shock and disbelief that the moment was even happening, and David just grooving along, some slight choreography thrown into the mix, their spark igniting one another, never letting the other go dim. In the blink of an eye it was over, but Maggie carried right along with a magnetic "Horses" before bringing the night to an epic close with "Light On," surely the biggest hit of the night," into a larger-than-life "That's Where I Am." Closing things off with what seemed like the peak of her powers was a gripping moment to take in and put the show into a new category of brilliance. After a quick pause, she ended the night with a blissful "Fallingwater" and then was quick to shut down some excessive guests who obnoxiously yelled out her name and effectively told them, "if you're a guy who's had some drinks tonight, this is actually my turn to talk," putting them directly into place and owning her moment. Taking the spotlight with true grace, she let the rest of the audience know that while nothing else in the world may make sense, live music can stop that feeling, even if only for a few seconds, and that as long as we keep showing up, she'll be here to bring us into her world of true rock stardom.


Set list:

01 "Overdrive"
02 "Want Want"
03 "Say It"
04 "Honey"
05 "Love You for a Long Time"
06 "Shatter"
07 "Begging for Rain"
08 "Be Cool"
09 "Symphony"
10 "I’ve Got a Friend"
11 "New Song" [with Del Water Gap]
12 "Alaska"
13 "Strange Overtones" [with David Byrne] (cover)
14 "Horses"
15 "Anywhere With You"
16 "Light On"
17 "That's Where I Am"
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18 "Fallingwater"
19 "Different Kind of World"

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