At the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music at NYU Tisch in 2016, Pharrell Williams held a masterclass with students on their music. One student by the name of Maggie Rogers had both her song and the overwhelmingly positive feedback from Williams uploaded to YouTube. The video went viral, now sitting at 8 million views, giving Rogers and her music new levels of recognition and fame. Her first studio album, “Heard It in a Past Life,” was an indie pop album met with high praise and earned Rogers a Grammy nomination for Best New Artist. Her latest album, “Don’t Forget Me,” was released just this spring and has given Rogers the perfect opportunity to go on tour. Her Boston stop was at TD Garden, the massive downtown Boston arena that houses both the Bruins and the Celtics, on Oct. 17.
Rogers’ opener was singer-songwriter Ryan Beatty who played a smattering of songs from his new album, “Calico.” Beatty created a sense of peace and comfort through the arena, which was very welcome and calming amid the chaos of people finding their seats for a sold-out concert. Beatty also used the multiple large screens at TD Gardens to display various song quotes that would shift depending on what song he played. A standout song was “Cinnamon Bread,” a poignant song about happier memories of a failing relationship.
Rogers’ set began with an intro video, made up of short clips of Rogers and picturesque scenery. As the video ended, Maggie Rogers slowly rose out of the stage, draped in a sparkling cape to thunderous applause and cheers. Her opening song, “That’s Where I Am,” was a fantastic start to her set. The acoustics of her band slotted in perfectly, filling the large arena with indie pop harmonies. Rogers took advantage of the held notes throughout the song to riff and demonstrate her vocal power. The audience was absolutely enraptured with Rogers and continued to be incredibly energetic throughout the entire set. Rogers was also freely moving around the stage throughout this first part of her set, unafraid to move her body to the music, especially during her performance of “Drunk.” A fun surprise during the first portion of the show was during “Love You for a Long Time.” Rogers launched into the first verse and overhead the screens turned on for a surprise kiss cam, showcasing the variety of relationships present at her concert.
A second video played halfway through her set, allowing her band to leave and for the stage to be reconfigured into a simple setup of a piano and a guitar. Rogers sat down and took time to speak with the audience. She talked about how nice it was to be back in Boston and reminisced about cheap cocktails and cafe songwriting sessions. After playing a few of her acoustic songs, Rogers pivoted to talking about the sudden and recent passing of the One Direction member, Liam Payne. Saying that he had been on her mind, along with the rest of the band, Rogers played a refrain of their “Night Changes” in a heartfelt tribute.
She concluded her piano portion with her next song, “All the Same.” Afterward, Rogers stood up to sing the song that started it all, “Alaska.” Her last few songs were from her older albums and were clear fan favorites. Rogers knew that too and asked her fans to sing the beginning of “Fallingwater” without her — to great success. By the end of her set, the energy in the arena was at a fever pitch, easily convincing Rogers to come back for an encore song, “Don’t Forget Me.”
Rogers’ performance was a demonstration of what indie pop at its best sounds like. Her vocals are incredibly strong, showing no sign of strain despite the long concert schedule and the vocal demands of her set. Her songs had strong instrumentation, painting a rich musical picture that Rogers situated herself in. Rogers also has the ability to weave her emotions into her music in a way that feels genuine and as such is able to portray a vast expanse of human emotion. She goes from the upbeat, synth-pop songs that make you want to dance, to the slower, more contemplative ballads that make you think with ease, displaying a strong sense of genre knowledge. Since her appearance in Williams’ masterclass, Rogers has stayed true to her roots and her heart while elevating her music and orchestrations to new heights.
