On Friday April 10th, Sabrina Carpenter headlined Coachella. The vibe of her performance was old Hollywood chic. She had multiple set changes during the performance. The first set was a love letter to Hollywood. The hills of her fictitious Los Angeles were adorned with a sign reading “Sabrinawood”.Â
She arrived on stage in a vintage car, playing into the old Hollywood mystique. She then opened her set with her newest single, House Tour. The energy was high from the moment she uttered the first line.Â
Her performance of Manchild was extremely avant-garde. Carpenter was standing on the top of the hills as performers dressed as dogs danced below her. Her artistic vision is phenomenal. I enjoy when performers tap into absurdity.
For the second part of her set, Carpenter’s stage transformed into a 70s recording studio. Her dress was golden, with sheer white sleeves. While performing in the recording booth, she had on vintage headphones and sang into a vintage microphone. The set then turned into a 70s bar.
After the bar set, there was an eight minute intermission. The intermission featured Academy Award winner Susan Sarandon delivering a monologue as future Sabrina. Future Sabrina talked about her life, reminiscing on the past. With this monologue, it is clear that Carpenter cherishes every moment she’s on stage.
After the intermission, the stage completely changed. The set now looked like a grungey dance studio. Carpenter was now sporting a bright blue turtleneck. She then performed two songs she hadn’t performed live, Such A Funny Way and Sugar Talking. Her performance of Sugar Talking was my favorite of the night. It was an intimate dance routine with one male dancer. The routine was very reminiscent of Dirty Dancing.
During her fourth set change, the stage had a giant set of white stairs. She made her entrance covered in showgirl fans. While performing Feather, there was a short musical interlude about Sabrina being a showgirl. The interlude was sung in the tone of Barry Manilow’s Copacabana. This section of the set also included her performance of Bed Chem.
After those two songs, there was another short intermission. This intermission also featured a guest performer, Will Ferrell. Ferrell played a sound tech who is working her set.Â
The fifth and final set change was grand. The stage echoed the Las Vegas strip. She continued the showgirl theme she had set up in the last act. She opened the last set with Juno. During where she normally does her Juno position, she hit a giant gong. Then, Samuel L. Jackson’s voice can be heard over the loud speakers. He acts as her spiritual guide and tells her to finish the song.Â
The finale to her set was Tears. The vintage cars from the first set were back. As she sang, one of the seats lifted up into the air. The underneath part then became a fountain. After she was done singing, she drove off in the same vintage car. The perfect bow for the perfect show.
I thoroughly enjoyed this set. Every set was intricate. Every outfit, all custom Dior, was stunning. Carpenter is a pop-star like no other. Her stage presence is commanding. With every second on stage, it becomes clearer that Carpenter was born to be a star!