Pop Break Live: Sabrina Carpenter ’emails i can’t send tour’ with Blu DeTiger at Terminal 5 in New York City on May 11, 2023
Written by Veda Kota
On May 11th, I had the pleasure of attending the second NYC show on Sabrina Carpenter’s “emails I can’t send tour,” the title coming from her newest album of the same name. The concert took place at Terminal 5, a general-admission standing room-only venue with three floors and a capacity of around 3,000.
The line wrapped around several buildings and had many passersby curious as to who this large group of well-dressed fans were waiting to see. Carpenter’s fans were incredibly creative with their fashion, which came as no surprise, dressing in pink cowboy hats and hand-crocheted tops that resemble Carpenter’s outfit on the official tour poster.
Fans were particularly excited for this show, as it was Carpenter’s 24th birthday, and two years ago, she had bought an apartment in New York where she wrote her emails i can’t send album. She had never done a show on her birthday, and people were excited to see what she would perform.
As the floodgates opened, the line started to move fast. After security, people were quickly jam-packed into the venue with little wiggle room. Terminal 5 was hot, people were sweaty, and the air was clouded with fog. However, fans could only seem to talk about Carpenter’s upcoming show and what songs she would play. A mix of some of Carpenter’s favorite songs played in the background, and as the lights dimmed, NYC born-and-raised bassist extraordinaire Blu DeTiger took the stage to open before Carpenter did her set.
A budding star in the music world, Blu captivated the audience with her signature brand of funky bass and charismatic singing. She expressed her thankfulness for being able to play in a venue that she had been to numerous times as a child and made sure the audience was engaged and excited at all times. While some in the audience did not appear to recognize a few of her songs, she undoubtedly walked away with a legion of new fans.
Sabrina Carpenter has many unique quirks, and one that fans have picked up on is the memorable song she plays before she takes the stage for this tour. Carpenter is a huge fan of Taylor Swift, and before she’s scheduled to take the stage, Swift’s song “All Too Well” plays. Almost everyone in the sold-out venue sang along and after the song ended, the room went dark as the first few opening chords of “emails i can’t send” played.
The stage was something straight out of a movie, complete with her large and iconic heart-shaped vanity mirror and a set of stairs leading up to a platform with a silver balcony. She made her way down the stairs, adorned in chunky white platform boots and a pink dress as she moved onto her next song “Read Your Mind.”
With the energy sufficiently high, Carpenter decided to continue the momentum by segueing into two more upbeat songs, “Feather” and “Vicious.” After those two, she mused with the audience, expressing interest in singing more of her country music, continuing with “Already Over” and “Bad for Business.” Even if you didn’t know her entire discography, it was incredibly easy to follow along with the crowd and immerse yourself in the joyous atmosphere.
A fun addition to this special show was the “birthday button.” Around halfway through her set and during the song “skinny dipping,” Carpenter stopped midway to press the birthday button, which essentially meant the audience had to stop what they were doing and sing happy birthday. She joked later in the show that she would press the button if she felt people needed more energy.
After the first incident of the birthday button, she continued with a few more songs, each few showcasing a different side of her songwriting and musical abilities. Carpenter transitioned from a set of more melancholy, melismatic songs like “Tornado Warnings” and “opposite,” to a sultry and desire-laced “bet u wanna.” She then performed a short cover of Gwen Stefani’s “The Sweet Escape.”
Carpenter regularly expresses appreciation for her fans, including more personal interactions. She frequently posts pictures of her fans at her tour on her Instagram story, and for those that have been lucky enough to meet her, they express that she is incredibly genuine, and talking to her is like speaking to a friend. During the concert, she was sharing a few words with the audience when she passed the microphone to a fan who detailed her most recent breakup story. Carpenter listened with intent and provided her own insights, which made the show feel less like a big-budget concert and more like a fan event.
After a few more songs, it was during this show that Carpenter decided to debut the live performance of the song “Skin” on this tour. She then followed it up with the final song on the set, “decode”, asking the audience to sing “one more sad song with her.” While the room did go dark after that song, it was clear the concert wasn’t over yet. The first few notes of her smash-hit “Nonsense” started to play as her two friends, dressed as figures from the music video, also took the stage.
Another charm of Carpenter is her ability to create, and she is well-known for writing a different outro of this song for every performance she gives. They usually rhyme, are witty, and have great flow, but for her birthday, she decided to have a bit of fun and make the outro, in the spirit of the song, complete nonsense. Confetti and balloons rained down from the sky as she segued into her final song of the night, “because I liked a boy.”
While I may despise standing-only venues that jam-pack people like sardines, this venue seemed like the best choice for Carpenter. I continue to be impressed by her thoughtfulness, musicality, and compassion, as several of her friends and even her NYC landlords were at the concert. Carpenter is a musician that is both insanely talented and deeply personal, which is a rare feat, and this tour certainly amplified that.
