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The opinions expressed in this article are the writer’s own and do not reflect the views of Her Campus.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at NYU chapter.

In October 2016, I saw 17-year-old Sabrina Carpenter perform at The Roxy Theatre in West Hollywood, CA. About 100 other young people and I huddled together in the stuffy room and stared in wonder as the bright-eyed singer twirled around the tiny stage and belted lyrics from her first two albums—Eyes Wide Open and EVOLution. 

Eight years later at Madison Square Garden, much about the Sabrina Carpenter concert-going experience has changed. The stage design has evolved into a set of white spiral staircases descending from a balcony and a makeshift bedroom surrounded by delicate tulle curtains. She swapped her dirty blond waves and heavy smokey eye makeup for golden blond curtain bangs, sun-kissed cheeks, and glossy lips. Airy chiffon mini dresses, sultry lace jumpsuits, and rhinestone-studded platform boots rule her wardrobe now. The “Espresso” singer also has a squad of vibrant backup dancers to help boost the energy on-stage. 

Despite Carpenter’s recent success that has allowed her to occupy larger venues and toy with splashy and interactive visual effects, the essence of her concert has remained consistent. She is an innately charismatic performer who can easily manipulate the audience’s emotions to set the mood she desires. Most notably, she has a magical ability to make you feel like she is speaking directly to you in a distinctly intimate moment, while preserving her glittery, maximalist retro-pop universe.   

While buzzy, colorful performances like “Juno” and “Bed Chem” electrified the atmosphere, the most poignant moments in the show were the understated ones. In one instance, Carpenter crooned “Dumb & Poetic” while teary-eyed underneath a single spotlight. In another number, she lamented over her ex’s atrocious communication skills during “Sharpest Tool” while sitting on a toilet. For part of the show, Carpenter turned the concert into a slumber party, inviting her backup dancers to sit in a circle and play “Spin the Bottle,” which led her into a twangy cover of ABBA’s “Mamma Mia.” She is unabashedly raw yet unserious, which made the grand arena performance feel grounded. She invoked a sense of belonging.   

The concert was a triumph. Carpenter took a page out of Taylor Swift’s book of intricate world building by developing a unique sound, on-screen visuals, and choreography. Carpenter’s  aesthetic contains a unifying thread of glitzy nostalgia and humor. She strategically curated a setlist of sharp, multifaceted anthems and clever art direction, intermittently pausing for different comedic sketches like a “Late Night” segment and fake anachronistic advertisements for sharpest tools and ceiling fans, key motifs in her discography. 

Still, amidst the arresting optics and vigorous pace of the concert, the true splendor of the Short n’ Sweet experience was Carpenter’s capacity to make you feel understood for two joyous hours. Her show is a vignette of the chaotic experience of dating in 2024 as a young woman. She lends credibility to the complex feelings that shape the female experience, encouraging her audience to feel everything: frustration, anger, devastation, and hopelessness. Then, with a hair flip and playful wink, she finds the humor and self-gratification within her misfortunes. In doing so, she has everyone in the palm of her hands. 

Paige Ganim is the president and co-editor in-chief at the New York University chapter of Her Campus. She is currently at senior who is majoring in Journalism and Sociology and minoring in business. Beyond Her Campus, Paige is an editorial intern at L'OFFICIEL USA where she assists with writing for print issues, helps editors with research and planning, and constructs stories for the L'OFFICIEL USA website. She also writes for NYU's fashion sustainability magazine, FFZine. She interned at Trill Mag from March to September 2023 where she wrote for the beauty, wellness, lifestyle, and culture sections and edited the lifestyle section. In her free time, Paige enjoys doing Pilates, drinking matcha, and reading rom-coms. She is passionate about writing stories about fashion, beauty, culture, and gender equality. She is obsessed with Taylor Swift and loves re-watching Gossip Girl.