Maggie Rogers, Feral Joy Tour - 2/10/23, Roadrunner Boston

Celebrating her newest album Surrender, Maggie Rogers is now embarking on a world tour. Her first stop began in Boston, MA at the new standing venue Roadrunner. Luckily, I scored two tickets for the 2/10 show, and was able to bring a friend along for the wild ride.

I first discovered Maggie Rogers in 2019 from a John Mayer Instagram livestream, where she was singing her new single at the time "Light On." Funny enough, my a cappella group was planning to do an arrangement of that song that semester. While I didn't know it at the time, fate had brought me to Maggie.

Heard It in a Past Life was Maggie Roger's debut solo album. With a folksy, indie, pop sound, a nod to our favorite rock goddess Stevie Nicks, and an album cover with Maggie under a blue sky with long flowy hair and a big red shawl, I knew I had connected with this artist on a level I had never connected with any performer before. This album has hits upon hits, with personal favorites including "Light On," "Give A Little," "The Knife," "Retrograde," and "Fallingwater" (which I ended up singing for my senior solo in a cappella). In the fall of 2019, my dreams came true when I saw her live for the first time.

Now, 3 years later, I was seeing her live again, older and (hopefully) mentally healthier. Maggie dropped Surrender on July 29, 2022, the second to last day of my Boston lease with my best friend, and it couldn't have come at a better time. The sound was different. Harder. More rock. More experimental sounds. But also hopeful at the same time.

The time between the release of Surrender and the concert proved not easy. Life for me was changing rapidly and also at a standstill. I itched for the cathartic release of singing with the power of my lungs and dancing till my heart couldn't take it. There were about 4 songs I was looking forward to the most, "Be Cool," "That's Where I Am," "Shatter," and "Honey." With a blond pixie cut and black dress, Maggie was ready to rock the stage.

In "Be Cool," Maggie reminisces a time where her friends pulled her back to earth to remind her who she really is. She sings the lines, "Needed a summer just to be a teenager/drunk on the month of June." This past summer in a way felt like me saying goodbye to my childhood, whether it was the free days or the moments with my friends. I, like Maggie, had thrown my caution to the wind, which was great in some ways, and not so great in others. The decisions I made felt very unlike me (as a Capricorn I always need a plan) but in the moment, I didn't care. For me, "Be Cool" encapsulated the rush I felt and the aching desire to feel okay.

"Shatter" is filled with '80 pop synths, unhinged anxieties, and flawless voice cracks from Maggie herself. In my time of trying to "Be Cool," and throw caution to the wind, I got very hurt in the process. But this weighing emotional grief I felt was instantly replaced with an inner rage. Maggie could feel this rage herself when performing the song, having to sit in this anger for a minute live, before jumping into a ballad.

Now "Honey" was a song that grew on me as months went by. The lyrics present a mixture of sadness and confusion about life and what's next, with the chorus spilling out as a cry for understanding. Some moments and feelings from the summer kept resurfacing for me, no matter how I tried to push them away. Most of it a mixture of embarrassment and anger. However, when I heard the lyrics, "When you hear my name/Oh, does it break your shit?/Or do you run away?" something in my brain clicked. Was it validation? Did Maggie put the exact words to how I felt? I'm not sure, but what I do know is that seeing her perform it right in front of me was a spiritual awakening.

"That's Where I Am" provided a manifestation come to life, with Maggie blissfully reminding us "it all works out in the end." "Want Want" was true feminine desire and urges coming to life. "Anywhere With You" proved to be the underdog of the night for me, as Maggie sang with all her might to "make something fucking real." As she stood atop the stage with one hand in the air, the walls around my own vulnerability began to fall. If Maggie could leave the comfortability she once knew, why couldn't I do the same? Although this was more of a love song about sharing a life with someone regardless of who they are, it can also hold the same weight when wanting to share a life with yourself.

Maggie Rogers always seems to capture how I'm feeling with each album. First the unsureness of herself in Heard It in a Past Life then the intense feelings of need, pain, and realization in Surrender. Not only is her sound growing, but so is she, and I'm glad to be also growing in the process.

I've spent months finding the right ways to heal and move on from people and situations that no longer serve me anymore. Maggie in a way was that light, guiding and reminding me that growing up is not linear. It is messy. It is frustrating and painful. But it's also exciting.