SAN FRANCISCO — Actress and recently minted pop star Sabrina Carpenter was fully in character at her Short n’ Sweet Tour stop at Chase Center on Saturday night. Performing on a stage dressed up as a TV soundstage in the 1950s that doubled as a lavish mansion, she was every bit the silver screen star, almost always surrounded by about a dozen dancers.

The tightly orchestrated production, which was similar to that of her performance at Outside Lands in August, had two effects. The first was that because it took place in some alternate reality, Carpenter didn’t need to address America’s current national tragedy. For nearly two hours, no one had to think of the struggles ahead. The second was that when the show began with some technical problem that delayed their start by about 10 minutes, it wasn’t immediately obvious that it wasn’t on purpose.

“And now! The moment you’ve been waiting for… Sabrina Carpenter!” a disembodied TV announcer voice declared following a video bit that showed the pop star in a bath tub, covered in bubbles, when she learns she’s supposed to be performing.

Almost immediately, the video screens that flanked the curtain-draped stage flashed a “technical difficulties” message. Thousands—the show was sold out and noticeably packed—stood on their feet wondering if this was part of the bit, until the house lights came back on and David Bowie’s “Let’s Dance” blared over the PA. Once the issue, whatever it was, was fixed, the show began again with the bathtub video.

“Sorry I made you work for it!” she later said.

The tour is in support of her hit—and now Grammy-nominated—album, Short n’ Sweet. More than half of the songs performed came from the album, and the rest from 2022’s Emails I Can’t Send. Carpenter delivered them in various forms of sweet and sly hazy tones, the lyrics often rife with double entendres. It was what she was doing while singing—interacting with the multitiered stage setup and using multiple rooms, spiraling staircases and props—that stood out.

During opener “Taste,” Carpenter, clad in a sheer pink nighty and matching stockings, interacted with real and imaginary mirrors. For the country-tinged “Slim Pickins,” she lied down on a faux fur rug in front of a faux lit fireplace. Now seated on a lounge chair, she sang to a suited dancer as if he was her therapist on “Tornado Warnings.” For “Bed Chem,” the action moved to another room in this mansion with a furry circular bed big enough for five ladies to frolic around.

Throughout, Carpenter moved about the stage, at times joining her dance team for some choreographed moves, or dancing flirtatiously, or writhing around on her knees. At one point during “Lie To Girls,” she strummed a lemon-yellow acoustic guitar before making her way upstairs to a balcony, leaning over the railing with one hand over her heart.

The concert was broken up into three acts, between which the audience was shown videos calling back to ’80s and ’90s infomercials, a companionship line ad (“Call 1-800-Sabrina!”) and the like, keeping a solid thematic through line.

The second act introduced the band members, who until that point were concealed in one of the mansion’s rooms (and this writer was glad she wasn’t cutting corners). It began with a glitzy jazz instrumental and dancers dressed to the nines, some with feather boas or feathered fans. Sabrina Carpenter reappeared in a black catsuit. She sang “Fast Times” while being wheeled around atop an upright piano. At perhaps the concert’s most iconic moment, she sang “Sharpest Tool” from a heart-shaped toilet (this house had a bathroom). She was fully in character, even wiping the seat before sitting down.

The second act, as well as the third, offered the most changes of pace. While most of Carpenter’s recent material is mellow, or even lounge-like, “Read Your Mind,”  “Sharpest Tool” and, later, “Juno,” got the crowd moving around.

“A little birdy told me there have been people waiting to get into this building since before 5 in the morning,” she said during a brief break in the music. “I was asleep.”

Carpenter also spoke more about performing at Outside Lands, thanking the Bay Area for her first festival headlining set; and finding out about her Grammy nominations the day prior. “That’s so cool!” she said, again thanking the fans for helping her get there.

“Should I just talk the rest of the night? Should we cut the rest of the songs?” she asked, with a wry smile.

Carpenter then moved the show to the heart-shaped B-stage at the end of a catwalk, which turned out to be a seating pit. She sang “Coincidence” and shook a tambourine while her dance crew sat around her and had their own party. Clairo had a similar show routine on her recent tour.

A quick game of spin the bottle helped select their next song, a sweet and straightforward cover of Sixpence None The Richer’s “Kiss Me.” That preceded fan favorite “Nonsense.”

Apparently, Carpenter’s microphone went out right before her famous song outro, unless this was part of the show. Her disembodied voice announced as much during the following video segment.

The final act breezed by. Alone in front of the lowered curtain in a shimmering pink and silver gown, she softly sang “Dumb & Poetic.” There was a quick bit with a fan that involved her dropping the bottom half of the gown to reveal a minidress. Then during the show’s other iconic moment, the heart stage raised her about 20 feet upward, as she belted out “Juno,” showing off her range.

After hit “Please Please Please,” the TV program’s credits rolled during “Don’t Smile,” projecting the names of all the performers and touring crew onto the entire stage production.

Fans didn’t have to wait long for the encore, either, as “Espresso” concluded the concert on a high note.

Declan McKenna and his band opened the show with a 45-minute set while lined up on the narrow strip of stage in front of the curtain.

The English pop singer-songwriter wore an olive green pinstriped suit jacket resembling a military uniform over a wide-collared dress shirt and blue and green tie. By the end, the jacket was off and the tie affixed around his forehead, as if he was one of Peter Pan’s Lost Boys. The 10-song set was a mix of uptempo rock and slower jangle pop, but through a Britpop lens. Highlights included percussion led “Why Do You Feel So Down,” melodic “Make Me Your Queen” and disco-tinged “Champagne.”

McKenna saved the hardest-hitting songs for last: his 2025 breakout song “Brazil” and the raucous “British Bombs,” which had him kicking the air while spinning around on the catwalk. Catch McKenna at a show of his own in Pomona later this month.

Contact editor Roman Gokhman at

ro***@RI**********.com











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