Short, sweet and unforgettable: Sabrina Carpenter dazzles fans at closing night of U.S. tour

On Monday night, Sabrina Carpenter performed her last show of the North American leg of the “Short n’ Sweet Tour” show at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles. On her third and final night in L.A., Carpenter delivered a memorable production jam-packed with pop hits and special guests.

“Espresso” and “Please Please Please” are perhaps the most notable hits by the pop star, which partially contributed to Carpenter’s rapid increase in fame over the last year. Carpenter originally rose to fame on Disney’s “Girl Meets World,” beginning in 2014 and ending in 2017. Although Carpenter has been making music for 10 years, her breakthrough into the mainstream occurred in the last few years. Along with her Billboard chart-topping hits, Carpenter opened for Taylor Swift’s “Eras Tour” from August 2023 to March 2024, exposing her music to millions of fans worldwide.

Carpenter ran with the overnight success of “Espresso” and released two more singles in the following months, “Please Please Please” and “Taste,” which also had immense success amongst fans and casual listeners alike. “Short n’ Sweet” came out in August and debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 albums chart.

Carpenter’s increase in fame led to her selling out many significant venues across the United States, including the iconic Madison Square Garden in New York City and the Moody Center in Austin. Carpenter’s first show of the weekend was on Friday at the Crypto.com Arena, and the last two were at the Forum on Sunday and Monday night.

With all three nights quickly selling out, many fans missed out on tickets and turned to camping overnight, myself included, outside the box office at the Forum in hopes of securing last-minute tickets (it worked!). Fans were decked out in elaborate costumes referencing past tour outfits or witty lyrics from her songs.

Declan McKenna was the opening act for the show, performing for about 35 minutes. His hit song “Brazil” got fans out of their seats, singing along as they would for the headliner. McKenna’s genre of music is primarily alternative/indie pop music, which paired nicely with Carpenter’s show and provided the audience with a good warmup for the main event.

Carpenter opened her performance with her hit “Taste,” seemingly wearing nothing but a towel. Carpenter then opened the towel to reveal a striking, hot pink bodysuit causing the audience to erupt in screams. The show lasted approximately 90 minutes and included several costume changes, special guests like Jack Antonoff and Margaret Qualley, sentimental speeches and 21 songs from between her albums “emails i can’t send” and “Short n’ Sweet.”

The setlist for each night of the tour differs slightly, making every show uniquely special for the fans who attend. Carpenter plays a modified version of spin the bottle on stage, but instead of kissing, she sings a cover of a famous hit song correlated to whichever number the bottle lands on.

On Monday night, she sang a cover of “Super Freak” by Rick James, which fit well with the show’s attitude — and her own. Fans who attended the concert on Friday night were gifted with Christina Aguilera’s appearance onstage to duet with Carpenter, singing two of Aguilera’s hits, “What A Girl Wants” and “Ain’t No Other Man.”

Before her performance of “Juno,” Carpenter “arrests” a member of the audience, sometimes a celebrity guest. On Monday night, Jack Antonoff — a friend and collaborator on her album — and his wife, actress Margaret Qualley, were arrested.

In a dance break during “Juno,” Carpenter acts out a different sex position each night after she sings the lyrics, “Wanna try out some freaky positions? Have you ever tried this one?” The changes are highly anticipated moments in the show and have led to fans losing their minds about Carpenter’s choices.

As the show concluded with the mega-hit “Espresso” and confetti began falling to the ground, the energy inside the arena was at an all-time high. Fans across the arena sang their hearts out and marveled at Carpenter’s incredible performance. It was clear from fans’ smiles as they left the Forum that Carpenter had successfully delivered a memorable show.

The L.A. shows weren’t just packed with devoted fans; celebrities and influencers turned out in droves to experience the tour’s electrifying phenomenon. Among the star-studded attendees were Selena Gomez, Kendall Jenner, Hailey Bieber, Madison Beer, Jake Shane and Katy Perry, among many others.

Many have deemed 2024 the “year of the pop girl” due to the celebration of female pop artists and their respective albums, such as Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, Chappell Roan, Ariana Grande, Olivia Rodrigo and Charli XCX. In this competitive year for mainstream female pop artists, Carpenter has solidified herself as a force of nature in the music industry. Carpenter has found her footing with the music she wants to create, evident on stage through her sassy lyrics and infectious energy.

Carpenter is highly admired by her fans and critics, as she earned six Grammy nominations, including Album of the Year, Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best New Artist. The “Short n’ Sweet” album and tour are massive accomplishments for Carpenter and signifiers of her bright future.