Short N’ Spooky: Sabrina Carpenter’s Haunted Halloween Performances
By Samantha Skura
Sabrina Carpenter is back on the road for the final shows of her Short N’ Sweet tour, and she’s not just making headlines; she’s making history. With five sold-out shows at Madison Square Garden on October 26,28,29,31, and November 1, Carpenter has cemented her status as a pop powerhouse and performer. But it was the Halloween performance, a special edition she called Short N’ Spooky, that truly enchanted the crowd, transforming MSG into a glittering haunted house of camp, choreography, and costumes.
Carpenter’s Short N’ Spooky wasn’t just a clever name, but a transformation of her tour’s aesthetic. She urged fans to arrive in costumes, whether decked out in glitter and glamour or leaning into dark and spooky themes. The stage retained its signature Short N’ Sweet layout, complete with her house and an oversized heart at the runway’s end. Still, the Halloween night brought eerie lighting, fog, and a playful sense of theatricality. Carpenter matched the energy with three standout costume changes that turned the concert into what was proudly dubbed “Sabrinaween.”
Before the show started, the audience was blessed with Olivia Dean as the opener. She is a current breakout artist and has just released her incredible album called “The Art of Loving.” As soon as she stepped out, you noticed it was not her usual long dress attire, but instead her version of the Scooby Doo Character, Daphne. She set the scene for a night of fun and fits.
Carpenter opened the show with her signature towel drop reveal, but this time the glittery bodysuit underneath paid homage to Wonder Woman. The superhero-inspired look swapped her usual corset for a bold, star-spangled design that set the tone for the rest of the incredible outfits that night. While in the iconic Wonder Woman costume, she performed the hit off her new album, Man’s Best Friend, called “Manchild.” Carpenter was also not the only one in character. Her dancers and band members joined the fun dressed as everything from Spiderman and Jessie from Toy Story to vampires, and Pokémon. She ended the first act with her “Bed Chem” outro, where she disappears behind a curtain to act out a scene. Instead of the usual sultry act, she added a Halloween twist where she staged a spooky horror movie moment.
After a quick costume change, Sabrina returned to the stage dressed as Barbie, complete with pink flared pants, a matching vest, and a cowgirl hat. The look was a perfect match for her stage setup, which already resembled the Barbie Dreamhouse. During Act Two of the tour, Sabrina has a bit she calls “spin the bottle,” where four song options are placed on the screen and she spins the bottle, which determines the surprise song for that night. At Sabrinaween, fate landed on “Barbie Girl” by Aqua, and Carpenter delivered effortlessly in her cover. She also followed the surprise song with “House Tour” from Man’s Best Friend, and then followed with her iconic song “Feather” from 2023.
In the final act, Carpenter appeared on stage as her own take on Wilma Flintstone, complete with an orange-and-black sparkly patterned dress and bone-inspired accessories, as she performed “Please, Please, Please.” In this final act of every show, Carpenter “arrests” someone in the audience before launching into her song “Juno.” On Halloween night, the arrest took a spooky turn when she singled out a figure in a Ghostface mask from Scream. But the real surprise came when the mask came off, revealing none other than Drew Barrymore, who famously played Casey Becker in the original Scream film. Carpenter followed by blowing a kiss to Barrymore, which caused the crowd to erupt.
With five sold-out nights and a Halloween special fans called “Sabrinaween,” Carpenter didn’t just perform; she showcased her evolution from rising star to an arena-level entertainer. With bold visuals, cleverness, and a Halloween twist fans won’t forget, Carpenter has proven she’s not just a part of pop’s future, she’s shaping it!
