“My name is Maggie Rogers, and I’ve been dreaming about playing this venue since the sixth grade,” declared Maryland native and Grammy-nominated singer Maggie Rogers, emerging in front of a crowded Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia on Sunday night. But the Maryland love reached new heights when Governor Wes Moore came on stage half an hour into the performance, proclamation plaque in hand.
“Listen, I got an announcement to make,” Moore said, arriving just after a kiss cam swept through the crowd. “Because of her work around registering voters, because of her work being a champion for reproductive health, because of her work advocating for fair ticket pricing for all of her fans: I am proud to announce that from now on, June 16th, 2024 is, in the state of Maryland, Maggie Rogers Day.”
The two hugged and Moore hyped the crowd—I happened to be one of the concert-goers—into a “Maggie! Maggie!” chant, before riding off in a motorcade. Moore does this a lot. Since he was sworn into office a year and a half ago, the state has also gained a Beyoncé Day, Lamar Jackson Day, and Maryland Apple Month.
Rogers’s activism, for which Moore said he awarded her the plaque, includes hosting voter registration booths and encouraging Planned Parenthood donations at her concerts, releasing music to raise money for an abortion charity, and combating ticket resale price surges by selling tickets at in-person box offices.
“I accept?” Rogers said with a sheepish grin, retaking the mic. “Alright, I’m gonna sing some more.”
The singer grew up on the Eastern Shore and visited Merriweather countless times during her childhood, she said during her concert. She recalled saving up money to see shows there, splurging on a Mumford and Sons seat in the pit. A few years ago, the band’s pianist made Rogers the godmother to his daughter.
Rogers played Merriweather last year during the All Things Go music festival, but this was her first show at the venue on a tour of her own, which she called “something else entirely.” Safe to say, she’ll probably be back—maybe even on Maggie Rogers Day 2025.
