Maggie Rose’s “Float-In Concert” Full of Summer Surprises & Successes

On August 17th, Maggie Rose gave a performance like no other. Literally.

The show, presented by American Songwriter, was located at Smith Lake, Alabama, and deemed a “Float-In Concert.” The setup featured boats floating in the cove gave concert-goers the opportunity to hear live music from the safety of their own water vessels. The socially distanced audience also included a few handfuls of people on land. And in the center of it all was Maggie Rose and her six-person band, Them Vibes, strumming up tunes on the dock.

Rose opened up the show with her 2018 hit “Hey Blondie” as the sun set behind her. The band’s acoustics and Rose’s powerful vocals carried across the water and captivated an eager audience. After this song, Rose announced and played songs that she and her band had written just a week before the performance during the Summer Camp Songwriters’ Soiree. The songs were not only written at this lakeside getaway, but recorded and produced for upcoming albums as well

“We all soaked up the beauty and got our creative juices flowing each morning by paddle boarding, kayaking and swimming on the lake followed by an afternoon of writing songs together in one of the several scenic gathering spots at our friends’ gorgeous home. After writing, we’d all prepare a family-style meal to share together and head down to the dock for a late-night jam” Rose explained. She continued, “We call the house a ‘vortex’ for the creativity it inspires and for the fact that it seems to help us forget about the distractions of the outside world for a moment.” 

This songwriting boot camp paid off in spades as Rose and Them Vibes rocked through some soulful new music. They played two songs that will be released in Septemeber, and the septet even premiered an “early Christmas gift” in a pithy song for the upcoming holiday season.

“The week yielded five new songs that we quickly rehearsed day of the show and debuted that evening along with two new songs that were written during quarantine. We played the new music and some previously released tunes for an intimate, socially distanced crowd in front of us and a gorgeous sunset backdrop of Smith Lake full of concert-goers who arrived by boat” Rose said.

“We synchronized our start time with the sunset, however, we got a quick summer shower right before set time that caused us to scramble to cover the instruments and gear but when it cleared made for the most dreamy sunset we’d seen all week along with an added bonus of a spectacular rainbow overhead. It was a momentary escape from the troubles of this year that filled everyone’s souls and for a moment restored a sense of normalcy for everyone present in the way that only music can do.”

And it was an enchanting performance. You couldn’t ignore the picturesque background or the lively spirits stemming from the band. Overall, this multi-faceted performance will be one to be remembered.

Find out more about Maggie Rose here and learn more about streaming services presented by American Songwriter here.