Maggie Rogers is arguably an artist that is best paired with the summertime. Many of her alt-pop offerings are dripping in sunshine, but even her more sullen tracks have a warmth about them. Given that, it makes all the sense in the world that Rogers would embark on a summer-time trek, simply dubbed, the Summer of ’23 Tour.
Rogers brought the tour to the Ascend Amphitheater this week, wowing an audience full of Nashvillians. American Songwriter was along for the ride. Check out our top five moments from the show, below.
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[RELATED: Maggie Rogers Plots North American Tour This Summer]
1. Nashville Lights Up for “Light On”
Rogers brought out one of her name-making tracks, “Light On,” early in the set. In response to Rogers queuing up the song with the opening line Would you believe me now / If I told you I got caught up in a wave, the fans in Nashville brought out their phone lights for a moment of live music magic. On Instagram after the show, Rogers applauded the fans for working to “make ‘light on’ extra beautiful.”
2. Rogers Debuts Two New Songs
Amid the packed setlist of her biggest hits, Rogers took some time to share two unreleased songs, “Sick of Dreaming” and “Don’t Forget Me.” Her fans were more than appreciative of the sneak peek of what is presumably Rogers’ next project. The songs were a little sarcastic, fun, and dance-inducing – everything you’d want out of a Rogers song.
3. Rogers Delivers Revamped Version of “Alaska”
“Alaska” is the track that got Rogers noticed by Pharrell and effectively jump-started her career. It has been around in her setlist since 2016, so naturally, the singer-songwriter has decided to give it a little facelift for her current tour. Instead of the buoyant synth riff that normally accompanies the song, Rogers gave “Alaska” a little room to breathe in Nashville. The production change-up gave it the gravitas it deserves for helping bring Rogers’ talent to the world.
4. Rogers Closes Things Out With “That’s Where I Am”
When listening to “That’s Where I Am” from Rogers’ latest album, it feels as though she made it with the distinct intention of having it act as her tour closer. She performed the up-tempo track in Nashville as the last song before the encore. It more than fulfilled its purpose of ending the show with a bang.
5. Rogers Poses With Emmylou Harris After The Show
Though Rogers delivered more than enough highlights during the show, we’d be remiss if we didn’t highlight her and Emmylou Harris’ chance meeting after the curtain closed. “Looked to my left before i started “fallingwater” last night and saw @emmylou_harris_ side stage and audibly gasped,” Rogers wrote on Instagram along with a picture of the pair. “This woman’s work means more to me than i can put into words. i’ve listened to ‘wrecking ball’ 2000 times. just wow.” Only in Nashville…
Photo by Jeff Hahne/Getty Image
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