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On a Saturday night at an intimate venue just north of Chicago, rising Laurel Canyon-style country-rock singer Maggie Rose vividly brought to life her 2024 album No One Gets Out Alive (which currently sits on Rolling Stone's "Best Albums of 2024" list) on her No One Gets Out Alive Tour. Proclaiming Evanston's SPACE venue as one of her favorite places to play, alongside Nashville's iconic Ryman Auditorium, Rose's incomparable vocal range and warm stage presence filled every corner of the 300-capacity room.
I was lucky enough to participate in Maggie's preshow VIP experience, which included a soundcheck of two songs ("Mad Love" and "Dead Weight"), Q&A, and a meet-and-greet with Maggie. The VIP crowd consisted of just 25 people, and Maggie spoke to every person in the room with the sincerity and easy humor used with her band and management team. I'm waiting for the day that Maggie finally hits the mainstream she deserves and I can say she signed my No One Gets Out Alive vinyl record "to Abby!" while wearing Adidas slides and conversing with my sister about gel manicures.
Many times, artists who play venues as intimate as those on the No One Gets Out Alive Tour don't invest in creating a visual aesthetic for their performances and solely rely on the auditory experience to carry the show. But with rust-colored rich vintage rugs, neutral floral arrangements, and a sweeping embroidered-flowered gown, Rose has intricately designed her stage and wardrobe with the elegance of much larger shows (what comes to my mind for comparison are the likes of Maren Morris's Humble Quest Tour and Kacey Musgraves's Deeper Well album release show at the Ryman).
The true stellar magic of the No One Gets Out Alive Tour is Maggie Rose's unparalleled vocal capability. She fills out her setlist with every track from the new album and a handful from 2021's Have a Seat, balancing between creating awe-inducing stand-out moments and finding an easy groove with her excellent band to produce an overall enjoyable listening experience. The upbeat, easy-listening portions of the set could be found in "Under the Sun," "Underestimate Me," and the rising hit "Fake Flowers," where Rose easily commanded the room while making some of her instrumental contributions to the performance with either a tambourine or her floral hummingbird-decorated guitar.
Powerful "What Are We Fighting For," honest "Saint," raw "Young," and yearning "Thinking of You" all showcased Maggie Rose's rock-ballad expertise. The shining moment in the set was Rose standing on the edge of the stage, reaching out to the audience and making individual moments of connection with so many people while belting out the soaring notes of "Lonely War." I'll be thinking about that moment long after other memories from the night have faded. And after ten years in the business and countless musical reinventions, Maggie Rose proves she knows her strengths, closing out the main set and encore with emotionally charged rock ballads "No One Gets Out Alive" and "Another Sad Song."
There's nothing about Maggie Rose that isn't ready to be the next big name in country-rock music. She doesn't define herself as anything but a musician creating and singing the songs she loves, and she does just that as well as any household name. She has one of the best voices in music. She has a lyrical honesty and integrity that connects her to audiences night after night. In sum, Maggie Rose's No One Gets Out Alive Tour is a powerfully intimate experience crafted by a star-powered professional. And Maggie Rose is undoubtedly a star who deserves success as colossal as her talent.
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