Maggie Rogers shines bright & bold at San Francisco’s Chase Center

Closing out the Don’t Forget Me era, Maggie Rogers brought the penultimate stop of her Don’t Forget Me Tour to San Francisco’s Chase Center. Maggie Rogers has always been a dynamic and passionate performer, and this show was no exception. The trailer for the album played over the speakers, flashing clips shot on Super 8 film to set the mood for the evening. She rose up from below the stage, donning a glittery cape and belting out the chorus of “That’s Where I Am,” the first single from her sophomore album Surrender, before launching into the rest of the song.

Maggie is incredibly intentional about the concert experience, emphasizing the synergy between herself on stage and everyone in the crowd.

It was a powerful start, establishing a deep connection to the music from the outset. The show was essentially divided into three acts, each with its own outfit change. During the second act, Maggie slowed things down, stepping out to the front of her catwalk to perform solo on her piano. “When I was a kid, I used to play a lot of Rock Band […] and in Rock Band, arenas are the final level of the game. So thank you for making it to the end of the game with me.” Reminiscing on her previous Bay Area shows, she expressed her genuine gratitude to all those who attended her earlier performances and her first arena show in the region.

Audience members were in for a surprise when Maggie introduced legendary folk artist Joan Baez, who joined her on stage for a stripped-down rendition of Bob Dylan’s “Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright.”

As the show moved into the third act, Maggie performed a revamped version of “Alaska,” a song from her debut album Heard It In a Past Life, which had earned praise from Pharrell Williams, who famously remarked he had “no notes.” Her band rejoined her on stage as the kabuki curtain dropped to reveal them for the second chorus. “Light On,” the uplifting hit from her debut album, was one of the night’s most harmonious performances, with confetti cascading into the crowd and filling the arena with pure elation and joy.

After two busy years of touring, Maggie brought the ‘Don’t Forget Me’ chapter to a close, ending the encore with the tour’s namesake song—

a poignant conclusion to an emotional evening.

Photography by Sabrina Poei

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