- Sabrina Carpenter played London’s O2 Arena last weekend, as part of her Short n’ Sweet tour
- In the Spin the Bottle segment of the show, Carpenter sang a cover version of Come On Eileen by Dexys Midnight Runners
- Fans went wild for the song on social media – but many criticized the crowd
Sabrina Carpenter is certainly a Busy Woman, and has kicked off her time in the UK and Ireland with a number of amazing shows.
The pop star, 25, has so far played in Dublin, Birmingham and London as part of the European leg of her Short n’ Sweet tour.
And it was during Carpenter’s second night at the capital’s O2 Arena that fans were delighted by her Spin the Bottle song.
Followers of the tour will know that during every concert, the Espresso singer – you guessed it! – spins a bottle to choose an extra track for the setlist. This is either a song by another artist that she will cover, or one of her own which doesn’t already feature in the show.
In the past, these have included Mamma Mia by ABBA, Madonna’s Material Girl, and 9 to 5 by Dolly Parton.
But in truly unforeseen circumstances, on Sunday night, Carpenter’s bottle decided she would sing… Come On Eileen, by Dexys Midnight Runners.
The track is a far cry from Carpenter’s usual brand of bubblegum pop – but fans went wild for the cover on social media.
Fans go wild for Sabrina Carpenter’s cover of Come On Eileen
🚨| Sabrina Carpenter performed "Come On Eileen" by Dexys Midnight Runners at the 'Spin The Bottle' song at tonight's show! #LondonShortnSweet
— Short n' Sweet Tour (@ShortnSweetTour) March 9, 2025
pic.twitter.com/Om9YjL0E4r
Branding the cover as “iconic” and “so much fun”, others said it was “truly a cover I didn’t know I needed”.
“Sabrina Carpenter singing Come On Eileen… she knew I would eat that up,” commented one, while another went on, “This was a fever dream quite frankly, what do you mean Sabrina Carpenter performed Come On Eileen.”
Others noted how the pop star appeared to be having the “time of her life”.
“Collecting videos of Sabrina covering Come On Eileen like infinity stones,” added another. “She sounds so good while literally jumping around and she’s having so much fun. My angel princess.”
While someone else said that Carpenter “always picks the perfect songs to cover”, another was against the song choice… until they heard it performed.
“I was so rooting against it being a cover, but of all the covers to do, she chose the one song that British people could yell the words to in their sleep and I love that,” they laughed.
Other agreed.
“This is so London-core,” joked one, while another wrote, “The most British s*** I’ve seen.”
Fans criticize Sabrina Carpenter crowd
am i the only one who’s never heard of this song til today pic.twitter.com/jWPPjtHgug
— ♡ (@stayhomesick) March 10, 2025
However, the inclusion of Come On Eileen did leave some fans baffled – including, seemingly, the audience at London’s O2.
Labelling the gig-goers as a “Black Mirror audience”, social media was outraged by the lack of enthusiasm shown by people at the concert, who preferred to record the song on their phones instead.
“And the crowd gave…nothing???? What I wouldn’t give to experience this,” lamented one, while another added, “The crowd should’ve jumped around and danced along. This looks so fun.”
Someone else went on, “People are so boring,” as another continued, “I’m so sorry the crowd doesn’t get it, this is insane.”
Calling the crowd “dead”, others commented, “The phones are CRAAZZZYZYYYYY.”
“Idk about y’all but… I’m a hater of the Spin the Bottle segment,” another admitted, “I’d rather just hear one of her own songs that could be a surprise instead of covers.”
In fairness to concert-goers, Come On Eileen was number one in the UK in 1982… 17 years before Carpenter herself was even born!
Sabrina Carpenter thanks her British fans
While the song choice may have surprised her fans, it’s clear that Carpenter did have the time of her life in the capital.
Taking to Instagram, the Taste singer expressed her gratitude towards her fans.
“London, the last two nights at the @theo2london felt like such a little British dream,” she wrote. “I opened there when I was 18 and it’s been my goal ever since to come back and play my own shows.
“Then you not only sold them out but you also made my album number 1 in the UK again while I was there.”
Carpenter continued, “What did I do to deserve ya. Thank you to everyone who came and sang so loud and special thank you to my iconic Juno girls, Salma [Hayek] and Baby Spice [Emma Bunton].”
