Maggie Rogers and Soccer Mommy Stun a Sold Out Thompson’s Point in Portland [Photos]

Indie pop/folk giant Maggie Rogers is in the final stretch of her Summer of ’23 Tour in support of her 2022 release Surrender. Out for the ride on this run are indie rock/pop up-and-comers Soccer Mommy (on the first half) and Alvvays (on the second half). We caught up with the tour as it came to play not one, but TWO nights at Portland, Maine’s seaside venue, Thompson’s Point, for a completely sold-out Night 1 on July 31st, 2023.

The show got off to a late start, as fans lined up at the gates and watched a thunderstorm cell that was visibly dumping rain inch closer and closer. Just as the rain began to fall overhead, the gates opened, and fans braved the steady drizzle to grab tasty treats from the many food trucks or line up at the barricade! Luckily the rain did not last long, and soon singer-songwriter Soccer Mommy, a.k.a. Sophia Allison, emerged with her full band and kicked into a set that featured heavily from her recent record Sometimes, Forever, including the song “Bones” and the infectiously catchy track “Shotgun.”

Allison’s shoegaze-tinged brand of indie rock was the perfect aperitif before the set to come—and also included fan-favorite hits “Circle the Drain,” “Your Dog,” and her just-released cover of Sheryl Crowe’s “Soak Up The Sun.”

With the field at the point packed nearly to the brim, the sun beginning to set, and a bright orange, nearly-full moon rising, it was at last time for Maggie Rogers! Clad in a bodysuit dress that the singer would later joke was to match the moon, Rogers launched into a massive, 18-song set with “Anywhere With You,” slowly dancing her way from a platform near the stage backline to front and center stage.

Despite a few issues with the sound—her in-ears were apparently deafening at one point)—and a lone heckler in the front of the audience at another, the night was an absolute dream. Rogers’ live performance was spot-on with her records, if not better, as she delivered the goods, hit after hit, including tracks like “Alaska” and “Love You for a Long Time,” alongside newer material, including “That’s Where I am,” and “Begging for Rain.”

It was all received well by the audience, who responded with their loudest sing-alongs and dance-alongs, though nothing compared to the response to the song “Light On,” which was nearly deafening and reminiscent of what I experienced this summer at Taylor Swift’s Eras tour.

The night was also marked by moments of levity, as at one point when Rogers passed a bottle of beer and balloon all the way through the crowd to their sound guy at FOH while singing him what was probably the nicest rendition of “Happy Birthday” I’ve ever heard.

Throughout the set, Rogers espoused her love for Maine—a state where she and her family spent a decent chunk of 2020, even writing some of the songs on Surrender or songs that served as the basis for some of those on that record at a family home in Scarborough, Maine. It was clear from the crowd on this night that for as much as Rogers espouses her love for our pine tree state, Maine loves her back the same amount, if not tenfold—there was not a frown in sight amongst the damp crowd of revellers!

If you have not had an opportunity to catch Maggie Rogers on this run yet, there are a few more chances to do so—her run wraps up on the West Coast later this month, but she has some other East Coast appearances scheduled for September—peep the remaining dates below!

Remaining Maggie Rogers Tour Dates:

08/06 – St. Charles, IA @ Hinterland Music Festival
08/09 – Morrison, CO @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre #
08/10 – Orem, UT @ UCCU Center #
08/11-12 – San Francisco, CA @ Outside Lands
08/13 – Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Bowl #
08/16 – Seattle, WA @ WaMu Theater #
08/17 – Troutdale, OR @ McMenamins Edgefield #
08/18– Troutdale, OR @ McMenamins Edgefield #
09/23– St. Augustine, FL @ Sing Out Loud Festival
09/26– Wilmington, NC @ Live Oak Bank Pavilion
09/27– Asheville, NC @ Rabbit Rabbit
09/29– Washington, DC @ Atlantis
09/30– Washington, DC @ All Things Go

# = w/ Alvvays

Maggie Rogers (w/ Soccer Mommy) @ Thompson's Point (Portland, ME) on July 31, 2023

64 photos