CONCERT CAPSULE: SABRINA CARPENTER
Photo By Ian Henriquez
A nicely spicy review of the “Short n’ Sweet Tour” at Inglewood’s Kia Forum.
As I nearly progress past my teen years, Carpenter's music has always grown alongside me. Blasting the Disney Channel hit “Can’t Blame a Girl for Trying” as an eight year old boy might not make sense in the grand scheme of things but boy did I love that song.
I continued to stay on the Sabrina Carpenter bandwagon when in 2021 she switched from Disney Music Group's Hollywood Records to Island Records, to release the confessionally spirited “emails i can’t send.” This album in particular propelled her in my sight as an underrated gem in modern music with an impeccable eye for pop, I mean, just listen to “Read Your Mind.” I knew she was destined for stardom.
Now in 2025, hits off of her “Short n’ Sweet” album such as “Espresso” and “Please Please Please” are played in almost every department store you step into, just until you start-up your car to leave said store, “Taste” begins playing from your local radio station.
So, as the day rolled around for the “Short n’ Sweet” Tour to take over the Kia Forum it would be no surprise for me to be in attendance. Somehow, the universe was on my side the day of the presale and I scored a general admission pit ticket for face value. Aware I would be on the floor, I showed up to que at the venue extra early, wearing a t-shirt inspired by her song “Slim Pickins.” Though my ticket was stripped of any early-entry VIP perks, my luck spiraled even further as I managed to secure a spot at the barricade for this concert. Being the first row at a concert is an occurrence I daydreamed over but never thought it was in the cards for me, until now.
Including a stage design resemblant to the divalicious Barbie Dreamhouse, the concert was themed as a 1950's daytime show titled “Short n’ Sweet TV,” divided through different segments of a ‘broadcast.’ Carpenter began the broadcast “Taste” and the disney-channel-knees choreographed “Good Graces.” The unresentful flamboyant nature of “Good Graces” made it a defiant anthem of my year, so hearing it live was unforgettably iconic. These two songs gave me pure power-pop-perfection, combined with Carpenter’s ability to effortlessly grab the attention of all 17,000 audience members, the entire arena sang back every single word back to her.
Carpenter is not a one-trick pony, following the blazing show introduction would be the acoustic country-tang “Slim Pickins,” a playful yet realistically cruel wake-up call of how excruciatingly low the bar is for relationship standards in modern dating. Then, swirling into “Tornado Warnings” and “Lie to Girls,” both songs that account for the lingering feelings left over from a disaster-struck relationship. “Lie to Girls” was quite surreal not only because the internal-message is beautifully told, but she just happened to stand directly right in front of me while performing it.
The next installment of “Short n’ Sweet TV” would be a trip down memory lane, performing “Feather,” “Fast Times,” and “Read Your Mind,” all hits off her previous album. Serving burlesque bombshell for this set Carpenter reorchestrated both instrumental and stage production to a melodramatic theatre sensation. Including lively stage presence, these tracks were nothing short of spirited, all of “Fast Times” feels as if Carpenter personally stalked me to write a song about my life.
Following was the anthem for anyone who has dealt with imprudent men, “Sharpest Tool.” Out of anywhere else, Carpenter sits on a toilet for this one, singing about an unresolved conflict in a relationship. Carpenter dwells, knowing that her past love isn’t the sharpest tool in the shed, but she still wishes they would have resolved their dilemma. With a heart split in two, she steps up from the toilet and looks into her vanity for “opposite.” This heart-splitting ballad is my favorite out of her entire catalog, documenting Carpenter discovering her recently dispatched darling is now seeing someone else that looks nothing like her. Experiments with themes of self-comparison, she questions if her past-love ever found beauty in her, or was only with her to pass the time. Reaching a finalized sentiment, Carpenter concludes that even if she tried to change everything that makes her unique, he still would’ve left her in the end.
Making her commute to the end of the catwalk, she’d begin the giggly “Coincidence” with nothing but a tambourine. Through a frisky beat, and not a soul in their seat, this part of the show was an unserious ball, to which concluded with a cover of ABBA’s “Mamma Mia.”
Reappearing to perform “Dumb & Poetic,” the visual effects on display here were enchantingly hypnotizing. A giant projection of her face that portrayed deep sincere emotion made me feel sentimental. “You're so dumb and poetic it's just what I fall for, I like the aesthetic” is nearly a direct call-out to the type I swoon for, which in both me and Carpenter’s experience, doesn’t end well.
Leaving the tears behind for “Juno,” for this song, Carpenter has a tour ritual where she pretends to ‘arrest’ a member in the crowd for being too attractive. SNL cast member Marcello Hernandez, known for his renowned Domingo character, made a surprise appearance for my show. His viral appearance in the ‘Bridesmaid Speech’ skit is most remarkable for his parody cover of Carpenter's very own “Espresso,” totalling over 18 million videos on YouTube. The crowd absolutely lost their minds, I even believe my ears are still ringing from the yells of shock and excitement to see such a hilarious encounter playout.
After a night of reflection and celebration, Carpenter would near the end of the show with “Please Please Please” and “Don’t Smile.” Having “Don’t Smile” as one of the closing tracks was a smart usage of placement, while the song is about Carpenters desire for her partner to miss her, she frameworks it here as a love-letter to her fans amidst the concerts conclusion, “Don’t Smile because it happened baby cry because it’s over.”
Suddenly, Carpenter would come back out to a stage filled with asleep dancers and bandmates, as she prances around her passed out crew and she pleads, “Guys wake up, seriously I don’t want to sing this song acapella! Do you guys have any drinks, beverages, or…Espresso I could give them?” With a hilarious yet smart lead, “Espresso” as the closing encore made for a grand finale that got the entire room accelerating in energy. Though past an entire night of hollering, I’ll never forget how loud the crowd clapped back each time Carpenter would point the mic back to the audience
This night was filled with all the energy, fire, but rooted in heart. I cannot be more excited to see how Carpenter’s career will flourish past this concert…as well as the coffee industry.
