By Valeria Benitez
If there’s ever another live-action remake of Cinderella, Sabrina Carpenter would be the perfect person to play the title role. With her single “Espresso” being played on every radio station over the summer and her Nonsense outros played all over Tiktok, it’s impossible not to know who she is. After two decades in the industry, she has established herself as a reigning princess of pop, representing the charm and presence of Disney royalty come to life.
With her luscious blonde curls and signature pastel outfits, Carpenter recently sold out her 16th show on Tuesday night, in State Farm Arena. Sabrina Carpenter is far from an overnight success. She has been in the industry since childhood, securing a record deal in 2015 and releasing six studio albums since. Before launching her music career, she was widely recognized for her role as Maya Fox on the Disney Channel series Girl Meets World—one of my favorite childhood shows—and appeared in several popular films
While she’s been in the spotlight for years, her music career really took off last spring when she opened for Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour. That opportunity helped bring songs like “Feather” and “Nonsense” from her earlier albums into the spotlight, making her even more popular.
With her immense rise in popularity over the past year, I knew Carpenter’s Short and Sweet concert would be an event to remember. Three months prior, when the concert was first announced, I had browsed presale tickets, finding nosebleed seats for about $50. Thinking I could snag better tickets later, I decided not to buy them—big mistake. Fast forward to the day of the concert, and during first-period Spanish class, I was scrambling to find tickets for me and my friend Kate. Now, don’t let the cover picture of the article trick you; we were, in fact, not that close up to Sabrina (it’s all thanks to the iPhone 16 quality). The cheapest seats were the nosebleeds for $287, but with fees, they came to $398.50 each. Despite my regret for not buying tickets earlier, Kate and I agreed to splurge on the $398.50 seats, knowing we could save our money for merch rather than drop $600 for a lower bowl seat (what we like to call girl math).
Given Sabrina’s history in television, it’s no surprise that her recent sold-out performance at the State Farm Arena was inspired by 1970s TV shows. The show was well-structured, more like a Broadway-style musical than a casual pop concert. The concert lasted only 90 minutes, and much of that time was filled with playful banter and comments aimed at getting loud cheers from the crowd.
In terms of the concert’s overall aesthetic, Sabrina continued her 1950s and 1970s-inspired theme. The set and her outfits reflected the vintage style she has recently embraced, which has become a significant part of her brand. The concert opened with a vintage-style cartoon, showing her walking through the city, followed by an introduction by a talk show host’s voice—setting the scene for a concert that felt like a retro TV special. The talk show host introduced the concert as “Sabrina After Dark,” launching the seventies-style talk show theme that carried on throughout the performance.
As soon as I saw her take the stage and sing the words, “Oh, I leave quite an impression,” I burst into screams of joy. I could not believe I was hearing my favorite song, Taste, live. Kate and I quickly pulled out our phones to record the somewhat decent videos we could obtain from the nosebleeds.
The concert’s set was designed to look like a penthouse, giving Carpenter multiple performance areas that added variety to the show. For example, she performed her track “Bed Chem” on a circular bed off to the side of the stage, creating an intimate atmosphere. Although some areas of the stage weren’t visible to the whole audience, cameras carried by dancers provided close-up shots that captured her performances and enhanced the personal vibe of certain songs. For another track, she performed on the “second floor” of the penthouse set, singing into a heart-shaped mirror with a hidden camera, allowing fans to see her reflection on screen.
By creatively switching locations and breaking up songs with commercial-like skits, Sabrina kept the audience engaged and eager for what came next. She played her entire Short and Sweet album and threw in hits from her past. Notably, when performing her popular song “Nonsense,” she surprised the audience by omitting the now-famous raunchy outro and instead staged a skit with a “technical difficulties” sign. She humorously yelled at the narrator from backstage, poking fun at the hype surrounding her Nonsense outros. This clever move hinted at Sabrina’s shift into a new era of her music, distancing herself from the playful tone of an album released over two years ago.
While her show had moments of humor, there were also signs of a performer still finding her footing. The concert, while glamorous, lasted just 90 minutes, with some of that time padded by banter and playful commentary aimed at drawing cheers.
The retro TV theme was enhanced by props like vintage cameras, and her pre-recorded video segments added a fun layer to the performance. Throughout the concert, Sabrina’s ability to connect with the camera—whether by striking a pose or playfully drawing attention to her outfit—showed her natural ease on stage, though at times it felt more like acting than singing.
Still, there were standout moments. The audience loved a spontaneous game of “spin the bottle” part of the show, equivalent to a “surprise song,” which led to singing a cover of Dolly Parton’s 9 to 5.
Carpenter turned this into a huge singalong, showing her ability to bring joy and energy to the stage. The stripped-back performance of “Because I Liked a Boy” allowed her to connect more personally with the crowd, addressing how she’s been judged and misunderstood, one of the more raw moments of the evening.
Sabrina’s Short and Sweet tour felt refreshing in an era of long, loud, and extravagant pop concerts. Instead of an epic four-hour show like Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, Carpenter kept it short, true to the tour’s name, delivering a tight, engaging 90-minute performance filled with incredible vocals and her signature humor.
In an effort to also keep this article short and also sweet, I want to mention my favorite part of the concert, which was the very last song. While it was also the saddest part of the concert since it was the last song meaning the concert was about to end, I enjoyed singing my lungs out to Espresso. I also enjoyed how this time I sang the song correctly and said “Espresso” instead of “Expresso” because, unlike others, I thought this whole time the song was called Expresso until I saw a TikTok about a girl saying it’s “Espresso.” This song definitely brought lots of energy to the stadium as I could feel the vibration of the stadium as all the fans jumped around. The concert showcased Sabrina’s evolving artistry. I will definitely be attending her future concerts (and this time buying tickets ahead of time)
