On the evening of August 17th at McMenamins Edgefield outside of Portland, OR, fans piled into the outdoor venue space claiming spots on the grass with their beach towels and chairs ready for a night with Maggie Rogers. The heatwave in the PNW brought temperatures of over 100 degrees this week, but fans were ready to bear the sweat to sing and dance along with their favorite artist. Rogers has not been in Portland since 2019, so she has been missed.
Flashback to March, I snuck out of work early and stood in a line with my friend at a venue downtown that had fans going around the city block waiting to buy Maggie Rogers concert tickets in person. Maggie is one of few artists that has taken action against ticket resellers and bots by offering fans a chance to buy tickets at the box office at face value. This fans-first approach is something I’ve always admired about Maggie and wish that more artists would do this, especially after seeing the resale prices of Taylor Swift tickets this summer. General sale tickets were available online a few days later, but I loved the idea of being dedicated enough to an artist that you would wait an hour in line to buy tickets in person. The initial concert date sold out quickly, so she added an additional night for the fans in Portland. These two nights would be the last shows of her tour.
The night started with Canadian indie-pop band Alvvays dazzling the crowd with their iconic guitar sounds and dreamy melodies. Alvvays has had a huge year since releasing their last album Blue Rev last October, landing them on multiple “Top 10 Albums of 2022” lists from reputable publications like The New York Times and Pitchfork. I have seen them perform a few times before and they seemed a little off that night whether it was because of technical difficulties or the extreme heat. That being said, the people in the crowd who have never seen them before definitely weren’t able to tell as they still gave an awesome set and hyped the crowd up for Maggie.
Maggie graced the crowd with her presence right at the start of golden hour. She danced around on every part of the stage, with her hair whipping all over the place and a smile that could light up a room. Maggie did this for almost all her songs and had the same energy at the last song as she did with her first. There were a few slower moments with acoustic guitars when she needed a few minutes to catch her breath and cool down in the humidity surrounding everyone, but they were timed really well within the rest of the set list. She also debuted two new songs, “The Kill” and “Don’t Forget Me.” There were so many people on the grassy hill singing along to her songs, it felt like being at a summer camp and singing around the campfire with one of your oldest friends. I left the show feeling so renewed and refreshed in a way. It was an incredible show, and she came back the next night for one more show to finish off her tour. If you ever get a chance to see Maggie Rogers, get tickets. You will not regret it.
Alvvays
Maggie Rogers
