Sabrina Carpenter’s star has risen swiftly in the pop world, and her latest tour is making headlines for more than just its chart-topping setlist. With her seventh studio album, Man’s Best Friend, debuting at No. 1 and a whirlwind of high-profile performances, Carpenter’s Short n’ Sweet Tour has become one of 2025’s most talked-about live events. The tour’s 2025 North American leg kicked off with a bang on October 23 at Pittsburgh’s PPG Paints Arena, drawing fans and celebrities alike for an evening of music, surprises, and signature irreverent humor.
The Short n’ Sweet Tour, which began in September 2024, has already traveled across North America, the United Kingdom, and Europe. Now, Sabrina Carpenter is back on home turf, and the 2025 run is packed with multi-night stops in major cities. After Pittsburgh, the tour heads to New York City’s Madison Square Garden for a five-show residency, followed by two nights in Nashville at the Bridgestone Arena, and then up to Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena. The grand finale? A remarkable six-night stand at Crypto.com Arena in Inglewood, California, from November 16 to November 23. According to Ticketmaster, fans can still snag last-minute tickets for these much-anticipated shows.
But it’s not just the venues or the sold-out crowds that are turning heads. Sabrina Carpenter’s live shows have always been more than just concerts—they’re spectacles, peppered with playful audience interactions and celebrity cameos. The Pittsburgh opener was no exception. As reported by NME and Stereogum, Carpenter revived her crowd-favorite “Don’t Touch That Dial!” segment, a recurring bit where she “arrests” an audience member with fluffy pink handcuffs. Past “culprits” have included Emma Bunton and Millie Bobby Brown, but on October 23, it was none other than fashion superstar Gigi Hadid who found herself on the receiving end, much to the crowd’s delight.
The surprises didn’t end there. Carpenter also performed “House Tour,” the penultimate track on Man’s Best Friend, live for the very first time. The moment was met with raucous applause, as fans recognized the significance of hearing the new song in a concert setting. The night’s setlist was a testament to Carpenter’s musical evolution, featuring hits like “Taste,” “Good Graces,” “Manchild,” “Slim Pickins,” “Please Please Please,” and the viral smash “Espresso.” According to NME, the show’s energy was palpable, and the crowd’s enthusiasm was undeniable.
Carpenter’s recent successes have not gone unnoticed by the industry. Her album Man’s Best Friend, released on August 29, 2025, has been lauded for its blend of daytime disco, featherlight funk, and a surprising dash of country. Critics, including Nick Levine at NME, have praised the album’s “sticky melodies” and “pithy lyrics about the flaws and allure of inadequate males,” noting that Carpenter’s witty songwriting remains a highlight. “Musically, this album isn’t markedly different from its predecessor, though it has a few more country-leaning cuts sprinkled among the daytime disco and featherlight funk,” Levine wrote. “It also sticks to Carpenter’s winning formula of pairing sticky melodies with pithy lyrics about the flaws and allure of inadequate males. If there were a Bechdel Test for pop albums, Man’s Best Friend wouldn’t be in danger of passing it.”
Carpenter’s knack for blending humor with pop prowess was on full display during her recent appearance as both host and musical guest on Saturday Night Live (SNL), which aired October 18, 2025. The SNL stage gave Carpenter an opportunity to address the controversy surrounding her album’s original cover art, which some critics had accused of reinforcing regressive gender roles. In her opening monologue, Carpenter tackled the issue head-on, quipping, “Some people got a little, like, freaked out by the cover. I’m not sure why. But what people don’t realize is that’s just how they cropped it. If you zoom out, it’s clearly a picture from the 50th anniversary special of Bowen helping me up by the hair.” She also shared that she’d released a new, alternate cover on June 25, 2025, which she announced to fans on Instagram with the caption, “I signed some copies of Man’s Best Friend for you guys & here is a new alternate cover approved by God available now on my website.”
The SNL episode wasn’t all controversy and commentary—Carpenter showcased her comedic chops in a sketch called “Shop TV,” where she played a designer hawking a travel pillow whose shape drew laughs for its resemblance to feminine anatomy. The bit, featuring Mikey Day and Ashley Padilla, had the audience in stitches as Carpenter’s character, Virginia Duffy, described the faux-fur lining and vibration feature with a straight face, while her co-hosts squirmed in embarrassment. The moment highlighted Carpenter’s willingness to lean into her bawdy public persona while reminding viewers, “There is a real person underneath all the sparkles and the wigs and the corsets. And another thing you might not know about me is that I love to interact with the audience.”
That love for audience interaction is evident in her live shows, where she’s known for playful banter and unexpected moments. At the Austin City Limits Festival earlier this fall, Carpenter brought out country legend Shania Twain for a duet of “That Don’t Impress Me Much,” and “arrested” musician Djo during her song “Juno.” Special guests are a recurring theme on the Short n’ Sweet Tour, with rising stars Olivia Dean, Amber Mark, and Ravyn Lenae joining Carpenter on select dates in 2025.
With a discography that spans from her 2014 EP Can’t Blame a Girl for Trying through to Short n’ Sweet (2024) and now Man’s Best Friend (2025), Carpenter’s setlists reflect both her Disney Channel roots and her evolution into a pop powerhouse. Songs like “Feather,” “Tears,” and “Nonsense” have become fan favorites, while new tracks such as “House Tour” and “Please Please Please” highlight her continued growth as an artist.
Looking ahead, Sabrina Carpenter’s momentum shows no signs of slowing. She’s been announced as one of the headliners for Coachella 2026, joining the likes of Justin Bieber and Karol G for the iconic festival, which will take place over two weekends in April. For fans eager to catch her live, the remaining dates of the Short n’ Sweet Tour offer a chance to witness one of pop’s brightest talents at the height of her creative powers.
From playful onstage antics to headline-grabbing television appearances, Sabrina Carpenter is proving that she’s more than just a pop star—she’s a performer who knows how to keep audiences guessing and coming back for more.
