The post Sabrina Carpenter’s “Short n’ Sweet Tour” Makes Pop Music Feel Larger Than Life: Review appeared first on Consequence.

When you look at the fully formed pop star beaming onstage at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on Oct. 16, it’s easy to forget that Sabrina Carpenter was a Disney kid.

After all, there are only so many paths young artists can take to free themselves from these identities; There’s the tried-and-true Miley method of proclaiming that you can no longer be tamed. There’s also the way of Zendaya or Ariana Grande – a more gradual rebranding and the inclusion of mature themes before the hard line of a project like euphoria or Dangerous woman. Sabrina Carpenter approached the latter after completing her time at Disney Channel Girl meets worldShe threw herself wholeheartedly into music, which allowed her to explore more themes than during her time in the House of Mouse without alienating the fan base that grew up with her.

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Your album 2022, Emails I can’t sendmarked a major turning point in her pursuit of pop stardom, aided by shticks like ad-lib outros for her breakout track “Nonsense,” which she adapted to each city she performed in. But their record from 2024, Short and sweettook them into completely new territory. She’s a true pop phenomenon – “Espresso” and “Please Please Please” were unmissable this summer – and her ongoing arena tour is exceeding all expectations.

The Short n’ Sweet Tour is theatrical and playful, based on the vast backdrop of a white high-rise apartment that, depending on the lighting and outfit, can evoke ’60s nostalgia, ’70s dance party, or ’80s glamour. The sheer effort that went into creating this show makes it seem bigger and better than most other pop tours on the market, creating an ideal backdrop for Carpenter’s bold, daring performance style.

Carpenter took the stage with a performance that introduced her as the protagonist of a screwball comedy; She appeared to be melodramatically late for her interview appointment and ran out in a towel, only to reveal her sparkly stage suit underneath. When the microphone was too high for her to reach, she pantomimed and argued with the stagehands, and that energy didn’t diminish over the hour and variety she spent on stage.

Sabrina Carpenter, photo via STUFISH Studios

The setlist included every song Short and sweet While it included tracks from previous projects like “Feather” and “Fast Times,” the audience was perhaps loudest during the anthem “Because I Like a Boy.” Every night on tour, Carpenter and her backup dancers play spin the bottle to choose a surprise song, and Nashville fittingly received a stellar cover of Dolly Parton’s “9 to 5.”

“I haven’t said this any other night on this tour, but you guys actually seem to be having fun,” Carpenter told the Nashville crowd, accepting a fluffy blue cowboy hat from someone in the pit. Flanked by an energetic live band and an array of backup dancers willing to join in, many moments of the evening were reminiscent of Carpenter’s brief appearance on Broadway (she was set to play Cady Heron). Mean Girls in March 2020).

The emphasis on spectacle and storyline was literally reminiscent of a K-pop show, and if Sabrina Carpenter wanted to sell photo cards and glow sticks, she certainly could. In other words, she nailed some choreography while maintaining strong live vocals in a way that’s becoming increasingly rare among American pop stars; Her vocal range is somewhat dizzying, and she effortlessly floated into the stratosphere on “Slim Pickins” before pulling out the lower reaches of her vocal range on “Please Please Please.” After whispers of lip syncing spread across social media, Carpenter removed the backing track from her show last week, proving beyond a shadow of a doubt that everything we heard was happening live.

Sabrina Carpenter, photo via STUFISH Studios

The choice served as a reminder that for all the tour’s extravagance, Carpenter’s focus is on the music. The half-dozen costume changes, planned audience interactions, lighting and camera work, and dance sequences are wonderful, but they are all on par with delivering songs that she is proud to have in her repertoire. While her confident musical identity and mischievous stage presence have drawn crowds so large that venues like Bridgestone Arena have sold out, her voice cannot be ignored, and if she continues to nurture and develop it, the pop world will continue to pay attention to her.

She mentioned several times how much she loves coming to Nashville and mentioned that she wrote some of her tracks in Music City. There are several songs there Short and sweet Notably, this wouldn’t sound remotely out of place on a Kacey Musgraves album. It sounds like Sabrina Carpenter might want to make a country album; If that’s the case, she has a voice for herself here, but for now we can enjoy one of the best mainstream pop tours available to us. She’s at her best right now…why should we break it off?

Nashville “Short n’ Sweet Tour” setlist:
Taste good
Good graces
Slim Pickins
Tornado warnings
Lie to girls
decode
Bed Chem
Feather
Fast times
Read your mind
Sharpest tool
Opposite
because I liked a boy
Coincidence
9 to 5 (Dolly Parton cover)
nonsense
Silly and poetic
Juno
Please, please, please
Don’t smile
espresso

Sabrina Carpenter 2024 Tour Gallery:

Sabrina Carpenter, photo via STUFISH Studios

Sabrina Carpenter, photo via STUFISH Studios

Sabrina Carpenter, photo via STUFISH Studios

Sabrina Carpenter, photo via STUFISH Studios

Sabrina Carpenter, photo via STUFISH Studios

Sabrina Carpenter, photo via STUFISH Studios

Sabrina Carpenter, photo via STUFISH Studios

Sabrina Carpenter, photo via STUFISH Studios

Sabrina Carpenter, photo via STUFISH Studios

Sabrina Carpenter, photo via STUFISH Studios

“Sabrina Carpenter’s ‘Short n’ Sweet Tour’ Makes Pop Music Seem Larger Than Life: Review”
Mary Siroky

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