Maggie Rogers Captivates And Impresses At The Armory

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You know when you’ve been talking about something and then get online to find ads for said thing or something similar? That’s what happened to me this morning. As I walked out of the Pitbull infused playlist that my spin class trainer blares (that I just can’t get enough of) in the cycle room at my gym, I walked into the main part of the gym and heard the sound of the headliner at last night’s show. I’ve never considered Maggie Rogers’ music to be good “gym music” but as I was walking out of spin class and heard her being played on the speakers, it made sense. After seeing her last night I realized that the amount of energy she has in her live performance absolutely grants her the right to be considered “gym music”. Being me, I’m going to chalk the coincidence up to big brother always watching but honestly it didn’t matter and her music not only made for a great night but also a great morning– no matter how exhausted I am.

Maybe it was poor timing or maybe last night’s show was just one of those shows where everybody decided to show up right when the music was starting instead of at the time doors opened, regardless, when I got to The Armory last night and saw the line I would spent some quality time in, I got a little bit more than annoyed. The staff at this venue is great and they pumped people through security as quickly as possible but that didn’t save me from hearing some of the most obnoxious and annoying conversations I’ve never wanted to hear. Clearly the audience at the packed show was not quite my scene and they had conversations and talking points that weren’t either. By the time I made it through security and up the stairs into the enormous venue, I had missed majority of opening act Now, Now’s set.

Formerly known as Now, Now Every Children, Now, Now is originally from the Twin Cities area. I remember working with them when I was in college and had an internship at a local label. The fact that they are still around and seem to only be getting on bigger tours each time I see them is impressive considering how long ago that internship was. The last time I saw Now, Now was at the Palace Theatre with Hippo Campus. The fact that that was less than a year ago and they are already playing a venue as large as The Armory says everything that needs to be said about their music and devoted fan base. Their music style leans towards indie rock but they have this infectious garage band attitude when performing live which makes them one of those bands that, although good both recorded and live, has so much more to offer when it comes to their live shows. Again, I missed majority of their set due to whatever was off last night (and it really was just an off night) but I could tell from the few songs that I did catch that they are still on their way to the top and there seems to be no stopping this band.

The changeover between Now, Now and headliner Maggie Rogers seemed to fly by and before I knew it, the house lights were going down and the audience was screaming at the top of their lungs as Maggie’s shadow appeared on the sheet that was concealing the stage. A dramatic yet beautiful intro, the first couple of minutes of Maggie’s set were spent with only the image of her shadow and the shadows of her band members. Simple and elegant yet somehow overly powerful and setting the stage perfectly for what was to come, there was a sense of excitement that drowned me as soon as the sheet fell to the ground and I got my first look at the stunning Maggie Rogers.

Maggie seemed to be channeling her inner Stevie Nicks (thanks to my friend for making that connection after I struggled to figure out who Maggie reminded me of) as she stormed across the stage in her shiny white jumpsuit with a sheer cape type thing flowing behind her. Much like the shadow-y start to the evening, there was something beautiful and dramatic about her movements that matched the passion and emotion that was easily felt through her words. This seemed to be the theme throughout her fifteen song set– passion, emotion, and beauty. Although I never found her music to be the most energetic thing on the planet, after seeing her perform her songs, I have a new appreciation for her songs and get a whole new feeling while listening to them. Instead of feeling cozy and laid back while listening to her music, I feel energized and full of life– I never would have thought her music could have that effect on me and honestly it never would have had I never seen this woman in concert.

Maggie Roger’s road to fame has been a particular one. She was “discovered” by Pharrell after she played one of her songs for him in college. The video of that moment went viral and catapulted Maggie into the spotlight. Although some people would attribute most of her popularity and fame to this moment, as I stood there watching her perform last night it became clear that that moment isn’t much more than just a sliver of her story. Throughout her set, Maggie Rogers proved that she is Maggie Rogers– an overly talented performer with a voice and words that will surely be more than just a fad.

Something was off last night and I honestly wasn’t in the greatest of moods. From being stuck in line, missing majority of the opener, dealing with a crowd that was less than my kind of crowd, to just being in somewhat of a fowl mood… something was off but that something didn’t stand a chance against Maggie and her truly amazing show.

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