Sabrina Carpenter’s “Short n’ Sweet” concert certainly left me with quite an impression, and it is 5 feet to be exact! I can vouch for this, as I watched the 5′ singer perform from the front row of the VIP pit at the November 10th San Diego show at Pechanga Arena! Here’s a behind-the-scenes scoop on the “Short n’ Sweet” VIP concert experience.
THE ANTICIPATION
It was no easy feat for Carpenters to secure “Short n’ Sweet” concert tickets this past June. The desperation to get VIP tickets was extreme. With nearly 120,000+ people in line for tickets via Ticketmaster, Carpenter deserves a pat on the back for a sky-high number of loyal fans.
After being in multiple rodeos (presale opportunities), my sister was, fortunately, able to get VIP tickets with the Spotify presale code.
PRE-SHOW
Arriving at the show at 2 pm, fans were already lining up. Many fans were lined up at the box office in tents and lounge chairs, camping from the night before to secure tickets.
Those who purchased the Team Sabrina VIP package lined up in a separate VIP line. To avoid confusion and cutting, they used a Sharpie to write the placeholder number that they were in the line, at this point I was 59th in the VIP line.
Approaching 4 pm, VIP fans were allowed to enter the arena. First, fans were handed exclusive merch and memorabilia including a commemorative ticket, VIP lanyard, and earplugs.
Entering the venue, guests are greeted with an early opportunity to buy merchandise. You also have the chance to relax and celebrate the show in true Carpenter fashion with the VIP lounge. This lounge has all-inclusive appetizers, drinks, exclusive photo opportunities, a DIY visor resembling the one in her “Espresso” music video, and a black and white photo booth.
Shortly after 5 pm, VIP ticketholders are allowed to enter the floor of the concert venue and they line up based on the number you received upon entry.
Based on the number of people on the floor, it was not crowded at all and there was no pushing. Especially for an artist with a younger demographic, this was a nice surprise, and I give kudos to the event coordinators for their carefully organized, calm setting.
Opening with declan mckenna
Declan McKenna opened for the show and with this, he brought great energy! With his hits “Brazil”, “Why Do You Feel So Down”, and a “Slipping Through my Fingers” Abba cover, fans got to enjoy two fun and lively performers.
sabrina carpenter, it’s showtime
Fans anxiously anticipate Carpenter’s entrance as Diana Ross’ “I’m Coming Out” plays, her signature “SC” logo appears on the screen, and a red heart continues to grow bigger and bigger until it fully covers the screen. Then, Sabrina comes out to the stage…as the song implies.
Following this, the show is divided into three acts and ends with an encore.
Act I begins with the “The Short n’ Sweet Show” intro. She continues the show by singing “Taste”, followed by “Good Graces”, “Slim Pickins”, “Tornado Warnings”, “Lie To Girls”, and “decode”, ending Act I with “Bed Chem”.
Act II begins with the “Sabrina After Dark” introduction. She starts with a fun jazz remix of “Feather”, then “Fast Times”, a personal favorite “Read your Mind”, “Sharpest Tool”, “opposite”, “because i liked a boy”, “Coincidence”, her spin the bottle song, which was “Material Girl” for San Diego, and ending with a no outro version of “Nonsense”. However, it is important to note that she made San Diego puns before singing “Nonsense”.
The final act begins with – you guessed it – fittingly and consistently another intro, “Don’t Touch That Dial!”. She gets vulnerable in a glamorous floor-length rhinestone outfit with “Dumb & Poetic”. After this, her floor-length costume becomes short n’ sweet with “Juno”, a fan-favorite performance. She then follows with #1 hit, “Please Please Please” and her emotional ballad “Don’t Smile”.
In a full circle moment, Carpenter opened the show in an encore with the song that started this new era, “Espresso“.
CUFFED UP WITH “JUNO”
Similar to Taylor Swift’s iconic “22” hat moment, Sabrina hands one lucky fan a pair of “fuzzy pink handcuffs” during her show, before performing her hit, “Juno”. Coincidentally, the lucky fan who received the handcuffs was standing merely two people away from me, and she shared that she had no idea that this was going to happen.
If you’re curious about how the selection process works for this esteemed Carpenter fan experience, keep your eyes and ears open! Five minutes before she got the handcuffs, some of the concert staff members were saying, “Oh, the one in red and blue?” She was wearing a blue hat and red T-shirt, so they likely picked the Juno recipient in advance and not on the spot. You could feel the crowd’s excitement as she handed the handcuffs to the lucky fan! This is an unforgettable moment for all Carpenters!
overall rating
Overall, Sabrina put on an incredible show. Channeling her Polly Pocket energy, the entire show felt like a girly dream house fairytale. Her persona beamed throughout her performances with her quick-witted jokes, consistent pastel color theme, and genuine crowd interactions. Fans can appreciate how she combined her acting skills and personality into her tour, which made the show come alive and allowed them to connect with her deeper than just another artist from the radio.
Taking into account the incredible detail in set design, choreography, vocals, costumes, and high spirits, I can confidently say that this is the best concert experience I have ever had. I would even go as far as to say that this beats the Era’s Tour show (which might be a hot take). Carpenter has a bright future ahead of her and the potential for Hall of Fame greatness!