TD Garden was transported back to the 1970s for Sabrina Carpenter’s “Short n’ Sweet” tour Oct. 3. With humorous one-liners and commercial breaks, Carpenter expertly crafted a performance that emphasized her vocals, personality and stage presence.

The concert began with an introduction to Short n’ Sweet TV, a play on 1970s’ variety shows. Her set, which she called her “penthouse,” developed this aesthetic. With a double staircase, circle bed with chiffon curtains and a bathroom furnished with a heart-shaped mirror set in front of a massive screen that displayed a city view throughout various points of the day, Carpenter expertly situated the audience in the show’s atmosphere. 

Carpenter emerged from the screen and ran down the stairs of her set in a towel, which she removed to reveal a sparkly yellow bodysuit. She wasn’t quite ready to perform yet — first, Carpenter poked fun at her height by struggling to reach the microphone that was placed just slightly out of reach. 

The star stunned the crowd by opening with “Taste,” the third single off “Short n’ Sweet,” her sixth and most recent studio album. She then went right into “Good Graces,” an upbeat song warning her lover to stay on her good side. For this song, she added a matching yellow chiffon cover-up to her outfit.

 After this, she took a moment to welcome fans to the arena before sliding over to the set’s fireplace to perform a slower song, “Slim Pickins.” Her dancers — or as Carpenter called them, her friends — slipped away to give her a solo stage. The slower, sadder vibe continued for the next three songs as the star sang about failed relationships. The backdrop of the stage expertly shifted to show darker, moodier weather outside of Carpenter’s lavish penthouse. It was also during this part of the performance that Carpenter made use of the stage’s steps and landing by using them as props — draping her leg over the railing or gripping onto the rail of the landing for dramatic effect. 

The energy lifted once again as the “Espresso” singer took to an onstage bed to perform “Bed Chem.” Despite the microphone not working for the first chorus, Carpenter commanded the audience’s attention as she danced around the bed with her dancers before concluding the first act. 

After a brief intermission and introduction to the show’s second act, “Sabrina After Dark,” Carpenter emerged in a black lace capri bodysuit and feather boa. This ensemble perfectly encapsulated the act which, though not only the longest, was much more interactive as she utilized the catwalk. While donning her feather boa, she opened the act with “Feather,” which would be followed by other hits from her previous album, including “emails i can’t send.” 

A highlight of the show was the spotlight Carpenter gave to her dancers. Instead of having them solely in the background to emphasize her performance chops, she gave each one the opportunity to bask in the spotlight. This created a theatrical experience, telling a story from start to finish. If the first act was Carpenter getting to know her audience, the second act proved just how close she got with them. 

One highlight from this act was her time spent in the 1970s-style conversation pit. She threw on a sparkly black robe, called her dancers out onto the stage and taught the audience an ad lib for “Coincidence.” The arena erupted as she pointed for each section to sing “Na Na Na Na” back to her. After singing “Coincidence,” she played a surprise song.

Unique to this tour and the overall “Short n’ Sweet” aesthetic, Carpenter chose the song with a game of spin-the-bottle. The bottle landed on “Mamma Mia” by ABBA for the Boston crowd. The screens displayed the lyrics as Carpenter performed, creating a cozy, sleepover karaoke feel. 

She stayed in the pit to introduce “Nonsense,” a fan favorite that became popular on her last tour for its personalized cheeky outros in every city. For this tour, however, Carpenter opted for a unique intro. “Should we talk about how it would’ve been different if they called it the Boston Espresso Party?” she said.

Carpenter poked fun at retiring the outros as she disappeared under the stage with glitching TV visuals behind her. For her final and shortest act, she came out wearing a glittery two-piece pink ensemble with the curtain down for an emotional performance of “Dumb & Poetic,” a song about realizing her ex-lover’s faults.

Carpenter brought the energy — and her dancers — back to perform “Juno.” Before the song, she arrested an audience member for being “too hot,” handing her a pair of fuzzy pink handcuffs, an allusion to one of the song’s lyrics. This attendee was so attractive that Carpenter’s clothes “fell off,” revealing a matching miniskirt and go-go boots. This song was vibrant, danceable and spirited as Carpenter took to the heart-shaped riser at the end of the stage during the pre-chorus to try out a “freaky position,” another allusion to the song’s lyrics. For each show, Carpenter tries out a new pose as she rises above the cheering audience. 

The show’s last act concluded with “Don’t Smile,” also the album’s closer. This was a brilliant choice, as Carpenter sang, “Don’t smile ‘cause it happened, baby, cry because it’s over,” while credits rolled on the screen behind her. 

Of course, the show wasn’t really over. After the lights went out on the hour and a half sleepover, the sun rose on the screen and Carpenter reappeared with a steaming coffee mug. She woke up her dancers and told them they knew what they had to do. Confetti fell over the beaming audience as Carpenter closed her sold-out TD Garden show with her record-breaking hit “Espresso.” 

Sabrina Carpenter’s first stadium tour was a testament to her artistry — the production value, costume changes, set list and crowd interaction made the show both engaging and captivating. Carpenter will continue the North American leg of the “Short n’ Sweet” show through November before resuming the tour in Europe in 2025.