In 2024, Sabrina Carpenter told the Coachella crowd she would be back one day as the headliner. Just two years later, she returned to Coachella as the star of her own Hollywood-inspired world, “Sabrinawood.”
Ahead of the show, she described it to Marc Jacobs in an interview with Perfect Magazine as her “most ambitious show ever,” and she wasn’t kidding. Rather than stepping onstage for a traditional concert, she turned it into a somewhat jukebox musical-style performance, full of guest stars, glamorous costumes, and film references woven throughout. Complete with five acts, she invited the audience into her world for the night.
If it felt like a lot was happening at once, and that’s because it was. Here’s the breakdown of the night inside her world.
The Opening: Entering Sabrinawood
Before she even hit the stage, Carpenter set the tone with a pre-recorded, black-and-white short film. She appears as a speeding driver, getting pulled over by a cop played by Sam Elliott. This dramatic setup calls back to the iconic imagery in Psycho when Marion Crane got pulled over. When she explains she is headed to California, the premise of the night clicks into place. Right away, we see her as a dreamer chasing stardom.
Act I
Dressed in a red sparkly dress, Carpenter breaks away from the black-and-white theme, arriving in full technicolor, mirroring The Wizard of Oz. She approaches the stage, lighting up a Hollywood-style Walk of Fame, before opening the show with “House Tour.”
Afterward, she quickly pivots into an audition setup, introducing herself and joking about refusing to reveal her height due to rudeness before launching into “Taste,” the song that, of course, begins with her sharing she is “5 feet to be exact.” Narratively, “Taste” serves as her big audition in Hollywood. By the end, she shakes a manager’s hand, sealing the deal and officially stepping into the industry.
“Busy Woman” keeps the energy high with a campy performance. Dancers appear with costumes split down the middle, with the right half of their body appearing to represent masculinity with a suit, and the other half in a sequined leotard, leaning into theatrical visuals over plot. Next with “Manchild,” Carpenter shifts her performance a bit more surreally with dog-costumed dancers and exaggerated staging that echoes Raffaella Carrà’s music video for “Amico.”
Act II
An interlude featuring dialogue from the Hollywood classic Some Like It Hot transitions into Act II, where the aesthetic completely changes. Carpenter appears above a glowing “Sabrinawood” in a ‘70s-inspired gold dress, channeling icons like Cher and Stevie Nicks. We see her beginning to conquer Sabrinawood as a newly signed artist.
With her newfound record deal, we see her in the studio prepping her songs. “Please Please Please” and “We Almost Broke Up Again Last Night” are framed as recording sessions, complete with dramatic lighting and a standout guitar solo that leans into vintage rock.
But the fantasy starts to crack in “Nobody’s Son.” Set in a Cheers-style bar, the performance is still playful but noticeably heavier. It’s the “fame blues” moment, where we see Carpenter realize success doesn’t feel as fulfilling as expected.
She starts to pull herself out of that mindspace with “because i liked a boy,” with rainbow technicolor lights swirling on her face as she sings. By the time she reaches the final song of the act, “My Man On Willpower,” she starts to appear more like a performer than a beginner.
Act III
Then comes one of the most unexpected moments of the night: a long-form interlude featuring Susan Sarandon as an older version of Carpenter. Her 7-minute-long spoken monologue reflects on her life as a pop star and her feelings on ambition and self-doubt, adding a meta layer to the storyline. The setting makes the role feel reminiscent of Sarandon’s role in The Rocky Horror Picture Show, which fits given Carpenter’s recent nod to the film with her “Tears” music video.
The emotional monologue is then halted by Corey Fogelmanis, Carpenter’s former Girl Meets World co-star, who appears in a hilariously awkward, yet realistic carhop interaction that cuts through the intensity.
From there, the set turns into a full-on theater kid’s dream. “Go Go Juice” is packed with choreographic and costume nods, with backup dancers in looks reminiscent of Dirty Dancing while moving through Bob Fosse choreography. Carpenter’s styling pulls from Ann-Margret in Viva Las Vegas and Marilyn Monroe’s look from Let’s Make Love. The choreography continues to lean even further into classic musical theater with choreography from Sweet Charity, bringing in the instantly recognizable “Hey Big Spender” routine, tying the entire number together as a love letter to performance history.
“Such a Funny Way” resumes the theatrical streak with staging and moves inspired by All That Jazz. Narratively, this is where she starts finding her place in the spotlight. She meets friends and collaborators in the industry and, eventually, a love interest.
Their relationship plays out during “Sugar Talking,” with choreography that recreates the iconic “Love is Strange” dance from Dirty Dancing. The chemistry floods the air, but the cracks show through the song.
By “Don’t Smile,” the relationship has ended. He leaves Hollywood; she stays. And just like that, the story takes a hard pivot. She chooses her career, fully and unapologetically.
Act IV
Act IV kicks off with Carpenter lip-syncing a phone call from “Sex and the Single Girl,” proudly declaring how she’s “not sacrificing my dignity for any man.” From that moment on, the energy is different. She is clearly no longer chasing the dream; she’s stepped into a glamorous, over-the-top showgirl persona.
Fully surrounded by burlesque-style fan dancers, “Feather” leans all the way into her new life. The performance blends seamlessly into “Copacabana (At the Copa)” by Barry Manilow, cheekily swapping in the lyric “Sabrina, she’s at Coachella.” Dripping in old Hollywood flair, this number is simply impossible to look away from. She’s no longer figuring out how to make it big in Hollywood; she is the star.
“Bed Chem” continues the theatrical energy with clear inspiration from Chicago, particularly its iconic “Cell Block Tango,” before a staged power outage begins at the end of the song.
Act V
The final act opens with another surprise shift in tone as Will Ferrell appears as a casually unbothered technician, “fixing” the stage after the blackout. He takes his time, even stopping for a smoke break, dragging the moment out in a way that is both hilarious and completely random in the best way.
When he finally connects the correct wires and the lights come back on, the full “Sabrinawood” set is revealed. It’s bigger, brighter, and we see she’s completely taken Hollywood for her own.
Now in a custom Dior showgirl look, Carpenter launches into “Juno.” The staging and choreography pull from Singin’ in the Rain, especially as she grips a pole and moves through the set.
Before beginning her iconic song “Espresso,” Carpenter spoke to the crowd in a full-circle moment, reflecting on how she had only just released the track ahead of her last Coachella performance in 2024, a moment that ultimately changed her career trajectory and launched her into stardom. She then moves into the song as the stage erupts into a high-energy, maximalist scene. Dancers and band members filled every inch of the space, dressed in vibrant, vintage-inspired looks. This number fully illuminates Sabrinawood, bringing the world to life.
She briefly shifts gear with “Goodbye,” styled like a runaway bride, veil and all, before diving into “Tears.” Delivering some of the most jaw-dropping visuals of the night, “Tears” escalates into pure spectacle. Carpenter continues dancing with her ensemble as they make their way off the stage toward a lineup of cars and a group of Playboy bunny-inspired performers. After dancing with the bunnies and even on top of cars, she steps into one vehicle, where the seat slowly lifts her up into the air as the base gushes into a fountain. As the dance break begins, in accordance with the song’s cheeky themes, the fountain sprays water everywhere, rain pours from all around her, and the entire stage and audience become drenched.
Finishing the song, she is lowered back down into the driver’s seat and, with a wave and a smile, she drives off through the audience, ending the set with her car radio playing “Hollywood Swinging” by Kool & The Gang as she exits the world of Sabrinawood.