With ‘feral joy’ acting as pop artist Maggie Rogers’ mantra for her sophomore album ‘Surrender’,
contagious energy filled the space from the minute she stepped on the stage, commanding the
attention of every person in the room. Letting anticipation build, a simple intro of Rogers’ voice
narrating frames of her pared-down features played before her entrance, asserting the
surrender the audience was meant to experience. Donned in a black feathered jacket and
rhinestoned pants, she was a sight to behold-starting the show with ‘Overdrive’, a testament to
the cathartic power of distortion in the artists’ process over the pandemic.

Rogers was especially appreciative of the mutual energy, taking a moment to embrace the
sheer rapture the crowd was experiencing. Rogers’ vulnerability in her statements of gratitude
struck me as I became overwhelmed with a vague sense of kinship with her, enhanced by her
intentional interactions with her audience. Rogers moves with effortless abandon, making
manifest that her music is something that stems from a place of eminent depth within her.
There were hiccups within the show that were handled with candor and grace, as ‘Love You for
A Long Time’ had been restarted a few times, making its eventual success even more
satisfying. The vocals at the beginning of the track have a siren-like quality that the opportunity
to hear them just once more was reveled in.
Hit singles ‘Want Want’ and ‘That’s Where I Am’ bookended a meticulously curated setlist that
allowed for both the performance of the new album in its entirety and fan favorites from her first
album. Rogers played ‘Alaska’ and ‘Retrograde’ from her debut record ‘Heard It In A Past Life’,
eliciting utter excitement from fans familiar with her earlier releases.

Rogers closed the show with ‘Different Kind of World’, the final track on ‘Surrender’, allowing her
band to exit the stage for a moment of intimacy with the audience as her voice resonated
throughout the venue with incredible clarity. I left the venue having witnessed a performance like
no other, one possessing an abundance of artistic integrity. There’s something hypnotic about
Maggie Rogers’ live performance as you become acutely aware that what you’re watching can
never be replicated. Her definitive authenticity as an artist is unparalleled.

Written by Adriannah Popkey