Review | The ‘Don’t Forget Me’ Tour with Maggie Rogers
The Indie Songstress Brought Her Signature Folk Pop Charm to the Kia Forum in Inglewood on the Last Stop of Her North American Tour
Maggie Rogers was one of the first artists I truly dove headfirst into. I, like most who were introduced to her in 2016, first found her through her viral song “Alaska.” I blasted it in the car on the way to school, “cut my hair and rocked back and forth” to it in my bedroom, and, a few years later, used it as my “song to listen to as you read my application” when a college application asked me to put one down. Rogers continued to capture my heart with her intimate lyricism, with a blunt and sweet way of distilling big feelings. She spans a variety of genres, incorporating folk, electronic, alternative, and pop. And as Rogers evolved in later projects with more rock sounds, she continued to maintain her signature language throughout.
This past week, I had the pleasure of seeing Rogers at The Kia Forum. I had seen her once before at Coachella in 2019, where she played a stage small enough that I was able to show up 20 minutes before and be right up front. Her voice was timid, but blended beautifully in the sounds of the music behind her. She was an elegant performer, bringing her pop-leaning folk songs to life with a giant scarf draped around her neck that she would hold open like wings.
Watching her now was almost like watching an entirely new person. Rogers was dancing full choreography with assertiveness and confidence, beaming wide and looking into every inch of the arena. She had a full band behind her, and would walk and twirl down the catwalk entirely alone. It was impressive, not only that she could capture the arena’s attention without any accompanying dancers, but that she was doing so while performing organic-sounding alternative music. Rogers started off the night with “That’s Where I Am,” as the audience screamed along with the words. She then played more recent cuts “Drunk,” “So Sick of Dreaming,” and “The Kill,” lending guitar and swaying in time.
“Love You for a Long Time” was a standout of the evening, a crowd favorite and a song that Rogers was clearly comfortable with. She played with adjusting some of the melodies in the record version, and looked to the ceiling as she sang, “And in the mornin’ when I’m wakin’ up, I swear that you’re the first thing that I’m thinkin’ of. I feel it in my body, know it in my mind, oh I, I’m gonna love you for a long time.” The ascending melody and sweet choral ad libs in the song blended to create a very authentic atmosphere. There was also a kiss cam during the song, showing couples in the audience embracing and kissing. It was extremely sweet, and Rogers said she dedicated the song to anyone who’s in love.
Rogers also played some older songs, including “Dog Years” and, of course, “Alaska.” She introduced her rendition of “Alaska” as a new version of an old song, then played it more stripped back and at a slower tempo. Starting acoustic, the band then kicked in midway through, joining in to wrap around her delicate vocals.
“Fallingwater” and “Light On” served as perfect songs to start bringing the evening to an end, bringing the show’s energy to a climax with their upbeat melodies. A gigantic disco ball dropped from the ceiling during “Light On” and lit up the room, as confetti blasted from both sides of the stage. “Don’t Forget Me” was the final song of the night, an apt goodbye song as Rogers sang, “Promise me that when it’s time to leave, don’t forget me.”
“The Forum!” Rogers exclaimed as the show drew to a close. “In Guitar Hero, arenas are the final level…. Thank you for making it to the end of the video game with me!” She laughed as the audience cheered.
