Maggie Rogers' Don't Forget Me Tour Diary

An impromptu visualization exercise for you: Imagine returning, as an adult, to the concert venue where you saw your first live gigs. But this time, you’re not a spectator — you’re a performer playing to a crowd of more than 19,000 people all there to see you.

Earlier this summer, that scenario became reality for Maggie Rogers at Merriweather Post Pavilion, a space in Columbia, Maryland, that holds personal meaning for the Grammy Award-nominated producer, songwriter, and performer, whose third studio album Don’t Forget Me is out now via Capitol Records. As Rogers traversed North and South Carolina, she captured some behind-the-scenes moments — of learning covers with Amber Bain of The Japanese House and hanging out pond-side in Bode house shoes — that she shares with NYLON below.

See Rogers’ tour diary before she embarks on the second leg of her Don’t Forget Me Tour — her first-ever arena outing — on Oct. 9.

“Soundcheck, my favorite part of the day. Get to stretch out and find space in our new home for the night.”

“We’ve been working up covers and learning each other’s favorite songs. My sweet and wonderful band. Everyone together and finding their rhythm, laying the foundation for what we’ll aim for come evening.”

“Coffee and a little guitar before lunch. Playing just to play. Learning a Damien Rice song.”

“Working on a ‘Landslide’ cover with Amber Bain of The Japanese House. Her album has been one of my true favorites of the last year, and sharing the stage with her and her band each night has been such a dream.”

“Out by the pond in Raleigh. Later that evening, after the show, we lit a fire and drank homemade wine, and sat swinging in the hammocks until it was time to hop on the bus and roll onto the next city.”

“Lacing up my boots before the show. I’ve been wearing the same thing on stage every night, a sort of uniform. I love the pre-show ritual. Doing my warm-ups and putting on my costume. All the potential for the evening coming together.”

“I love these people with my whole heart. Shannon Callihan on guitar and Bryn Bliska on keys. Laughing together and doing our pre-show warm-ups. Equal amounts of focus and lightness.”

“Walking to stage. A bit of tequila on ice in my cup. A deep sense of purpose in my steps.”

“Seeing the crowd from backstage every night is the biggest rush. A small sneak peek of what’s to come.”

“On stage, my body becomes my instrument. When I’m singing or playing, I stop thinking and just start being. There is a seamless feeling to it. Acting and reacting with the music. I always say that singing is a kind of resonant therapy. Keep your body vibrating and emitting sound for two hours every night, and anything that’s ready to go from your system automatically just shakes loose.”

“I grew up seeing all my first shows at Merriweather Post Pavillion. My earliest memories of live music are from this venue. It was so, so special to finally get to play this stage I’ve dreamed about for so many years. Could picture myself at every age in the crowd watching with wide-eyed awe.”

“I feel so incredibly grateful to get to play this record on stage every night.”

“Thats a wrap!”

Photographs by Nicole Mago