On October 16, 2022, Sabrina Carpenter graced San Francisco with her presence. San Francisco was Carpenter’s last stop on her highly anticipated, sold-out tour, Emails I Can’t Send. The concert, named after the album, was centered around highlighting the emotional highs and lows of heartbreak. Though romantic relationships were Carpenter’s main topic, Carpenter highlighted grief among family and friendships as well. Starting with “emails I can’t send,” Carpenter details the experience of having a trusted family member break your trust. Many fans seemed to resonate with the song as they screamed the lyrics faster than Carpenter could sing.
Already, the show was full of electricity and spirit, setting the tone for the rest of the night. Carpenter picked up on the energy and played the sassy and catchy “bet u wanna” along with a medley of her favorite songs from the album. Carpenter continued to engage with fans throughout the show, pointing out someone’s “Will you marry me?” sign and sharing pieces of advice.
At one point, she sang a song dedicated to a fan still grieving an ugly breakup four months later. Moreover, Carpenter paid homage to her “day ones,” playing a track from her debut album Eyes Wide Open and a few more recent songs from “Singular.” She also included a well-anticipated bit in her setlist, in which she sings a few lyrics about each town she attends.
Her success is well-deserved. Carpenter has been singing since she was a child, posting singing covers on YouTube. In 2014, Carpenter was one of the lead actresses in Girl Meets World. At the same time, Carpenter released her Can’t Blame a Girl EP. Since then, she has worked on various projects, including musicals, movies, and of course, more music.
However, in 2021 Sabrina Carpenter was pulled into an online drama involving Olivia Rodrigo and Joshua Bassett. Carpenter received thousands of death threats and was relentlessly harassed by internet trolls fooled by this “internet illusion.” She has since moved on, but she does describe this negative monumental defining moment in her song “because I liked a boy.” With rumors milling social media about past love interest Joshua Bassett, Carpenter sang at her LA show, “this song is not about Joshua Basset. “ Fans described this moment as “unhinged.” Yet Carpenter’s honestly blunt personality has got her fans in a chokehold.
Carpenter’s fame will only grow as she continues to please her fans and put out superb music. If Carpenter’s next tour is anything like Emails I Can’t Send, you can count on me to buy tickets. But let me suggest some rhymes for your next outro in San Francisco because calling us San Fran — was an abomination.