Sabrina Carpenter closed out Lollapalooza on Sunday by throwing a big party, transforming the T-Mobile Stage into an old-school dance show TV set, à la “American Bandstand” or “Soul Train.”
The set design, combined with Carpenter’s infectious pop gems and flirty choreography, would have been enough to satisfy the crowd, but she also brought out Earth, Wind & Fire for rousing renditions of “Let’s Groove” and “September.”
The exciting surprise, though slightly random, fitted right in with Carpenter’s modus operandi: The pop superstar is master of keeping her fans on their toes. You never know what to expect, but you know you’ll be in for a fun, quirky ride.
Carpenter’s Lollapalooza appearance was a victory lap after her whirlwind year of garnering a No. 1 album with “Short n’ Sweet,” a No. 1 hit with “Please Please Please,” two Grammy awards and, arguably, the song of last summer with “Espresso.” This November, she will wrap up her world tour, which came to Chicago last October.
“Lollapalooza, is all this for us?” Carpenter said from the stage, marveling at the immense crowd. She was especially moved after hearing tens of thousands of fans shout the lyrics to “Because I Loved a Boy.” She said she never imagined so many people singing along when she wrote the song.
Carpenter carried the TV theme throughout the concert, which opened with a video of her dressed as a broadcast journalist, “reporting live from Chicago.” She also incorporated TV-style commercials for “1-800-BED-CHEM” and “Manchild Spray Away” and as introductions to “Bed Chem” and the new, No. 1 hit “Manchild.”
Carpenter missed an opportunity to use these visual elements to offer commentary about her sometimes controversial music and imagery. For example, it would have been interesting to see her reference the polarizing “Man’s Best Friend” album title and cover art — which shows Carpenter on her knees, a man holding a lock of her hair in his fist like a leash. Beyoncé mastered this technique on her “Cowboy Carter” tour, employing video to relay symbolic imagery about Black culture and musical history, as well as tensions in America.
Carpenter may decide to keep letting her tongue-in-cheek songs do the talking. They are certainly resonating with fans, who yelled along to “Taste,” “Good Graces” and “Sharpest Tool.”
Another surprise of the night was three members of K-pop girl group and Lollapalooza headliner TWICE, who popped up in the audience. Carpenter brought out fuzzy pink handcuffs and playfully “arrested” them for being too attractive.
The 26-year-old superstar concluded with a video teasing the tracklist for her new album, “Man’s Best Friend,” out on Aug. 29. Whether Carpenter moves into new musical territory or delivers more of the same, she’ll certainly have tricks up her sleeve to keep everyone talking.
Sabrina Carpenter’s Lollapalooza 2025 set list
Busy Woman
Taste
Good Graces
Slim Pickins
Manchild
Coincidence
Sharpest Tool
Because I liked a Boy
Let’s Groove (with Earth, Wind & Fire)
September (with Earth, Wind & Fire)
Nonsense
Feather
Bed Chem
Juno
Please Please Please
Don’t Smile
Espresso