October 7 was Maggie Rogers’ homecoming. This Eastern Shore of Maryland native has been touring non-stop for her Heard It In A Past Life album and Monday, she planted her feet on familiar ground. Or rather, she stomped her feet around stage and encouraged the audience to dance along with her.
Rogers’ concert was revitalizing for all who were lucky enough to attend. The show had sold out almost immediately back in the spring, and The Anthem was packed. She did not disappoint—she masterfully belted out notes higher and higher with each song and never missed a beat. It was a wonder that she never lost stamina; in fact, she only became more energized with each passing minute. Three quarters of the way into the show, she took a quick pause to wipe her forehead and the audience erupted in applause. It was a testament to how much she gives on-stage.
She chalked her electrifying performance up to the body of water right outside the venue’s doors. Located along The Wharf, the Anthem is situated on the Potomac River, which Rogers says connects to the wilderness in her childhood home’s backyard. Rogers told the crowd that she had begun to feel separate from her music while on tour after playing for so long; being so close to home connected her once more to why she wrote it in the first place. What’s more, she said, she began to remember how she felt when she penned each moving song. It was truly as though she was “Back in [her] Body.”
When it comes to her body, she doesn’t want anyone who isn’t a doctor to try to tell her what to do with it. So, she’s partnered with Planned Parenthood on her tour to ensure that concert goers are getting the information they need on reproductive healthcare. Head Count also had a booth because Rogers wants people to register to vote. Rogers’ tour is all about emotional release and feeling in tune with oneself, and there’s no better way to do that than to make sure you’re taking care of your body and your right to speak out on the issues you care about. Rogers, who once argued that she doesn’t want her gender to be her genre, is truly a feminist queen.
Rogers closed the show with “Light On” and the song that shot her to stardom, “Alaska.” The former began with a mixing session, where she gave the audience a peek inside her production process: different riffs glided over the crowd in perfect harmony with each other, twirling around as Rogers danced underneath them. The lighting only added to the ethereal, transformative experience. Rogers said that her tour is constructed in “the most colorful way [she] could have never dreamed,” because the night truly defied imagination. When she finished, she mused, “To have this confetti falling in this perfectly-fitted silk jumpsuit with this vintage guitar—this shit’s ridiculous!”
“Alaska” solidified Rogers’ return to home base. She wanted to play it as she wrote it: “alone on guitar.” As her final notes pierced through the audience, one could have sworn an angel was flying overhead. It was a truly spiritual performance, and an ode to the past life experiences that make us who we are.