Even though she’s “Short n’ Sweet,” Sabrina Carpenter’s stage presence filled the sold-out show for her sixth studio album at TD Garden on October 3.
The energy inside TD Garden was buzzing as fans, aged from toddlers to older adults, ran from merchandise booth to booth as they bought the quickly disappearing posters. These buzzes turned into murmurs as the opening act, R&B artist Amaarae, took the stage. The surprise playing of Travis Scott’s “Fein” shocked the audience, and they truly engaged the crowd by playing Chappell Roan’s “HOT TO GO!.” Otherwise, it didn’t seem to fit the flow of the show to follow.
Styled similarly to old-style television commercials and separating the show into different “acts,” Carpenter put on a stage production that showed her theater background. Switching up her outfits between shows and multiple times within the show itself, Carpenter’s style varies. Throughout she goes from sweet, with a babydoll slip that mimics a nightgown, to sultry, with a tight black bodysuit made of lace donned with a boa. She even had her long skirt “fall off” into a shorter skirt when she saw an attractive audience member later in the show.
Her sleepover-esque performances of “Taste” and “Good Graces” got the crowd dancing to her fan-favorites. After criticism regarding her backing tracks drowning her out, she cut them out completely, leaving her vocals loud and clear.
Carpenter performed her song “Lie to Girls” playing guitar, before leaving it for the second verse. Her female dancers fell in line gracefully as she sang the bridge. She ended this performance with a portion of “decode,” a song off of her previous album “Emails I Can’t Send.”
The second “act,” marked by her exits and outfit changes, began with a jazz rendition of “Feather” that showcased dancers and Carpenter’s ability to change up her songs.
The mood during this act switched as she began to sing “Sharpest Tool” from the isolated mock set of a bathroom. This song, about an uncommunicative relationship, was more emotional. Followed by “Opposite,” with Carpenter analyzing herself in the stage mirror, it was clear these were more sentimental songs for her.
Later on was the moment we were all waiting for: the “Spin the Bottle” surprise song. Hearing the crowd singing “Mamma Mia” alongside Carpenter, with the lyrics on the screen, felt like a karaoke party. Transitioning from this to “Nonsense,” Carpenter asked the pressing question on her mind: “Should we talk about how it would’ve been different if they called it the Boston Espresso Party?”
Her third and final act began with “Dumb & Poetic,” one of my personal favorites off the album. This slower song was performed wearing a long elegant skirt, but that outfit didn’t last long.
It didn’t take long for Carpenter to spot her victim of the night for her “Juno” performance. At the sight of Rachelle, the “most attractive person” in the audience according to Carpenter, her long skirt dropped into a shorter version. She was “arrested” and given fuzzy pink handcuffs. Rachelle was the first female Carpenter chose for this fan favorite bit and she was jumping with excitement as the song was dedicated to her.
“Don’t Smile” was the perfect concert ender, telling the audience “don’t smile because it happened, baby, cry because it’s over.”
“Espresso” was the perfect encore though, waking the dancers back up with Carpenter carrying a steaming hot cup of… what else? Espresso.
Even from my obstructed view nosebleed seats, Carpenter put on a show that I wouldn’t want to miss.
