- Sabrina Carpenter performed her Short n’ Sweet tour in Manchester on March 13
- But the singer accidentally became embroiled in a fierce football rivalry
- US fans were confused on social media – but UK Carpenters quickly explained the situation
Sabrina Carpenter is currently on the European leg of her Short n’ Sweet tour.
Travelling around the UK and Ireland, the pop star, 25, has already performed in Dublin, Birmingham, Glasgow, and enjoyed two sold-out shows at London’s O2 Arena.
But when she took to the stage in Manchester on March 13, Carpenter was in for a shock – as fans began booing during one of the show’s segments.
Followers of the tour will know that before Carpenter performs her hit song, Juno, she ‘arrests’ a member of the audience for being “too hot”.
True to form, that’s what happened at the first of her two Manchester concerts, as the Espresso singer picked out a fan called Cal from the crowd.
However, when Cal revealed that he was from Liverpool, many people at the concert began booing.
Taking hold of the situation, Carpenter chastised her fans.
“Guys, I’m not from here, so I don’t know what the f*** that’s about,” she laughed. “But we’re not booing Cal! He didn’t choose to be born there – and he came to Manchester!!
US fans were shocked by the situation – but British Carpenters reassured them
Lots of boo’ing tonight in Manchester #ManchesterShortnSweet pic.twitter.com/5t40CscCL7
— sel🪻 (@selinerx) March 13, 2025
When clips of the situation emerged on social media, American fans were outraged.
“WHY would you PAY to go to a concert just to start booing the artist?” one questioned. “Such a loser behavior.”
“Who let the straight men in,” asked another, while another said, “I didn’t know the British cities have beef.”
But the British fans quickly rectified what had happened – explaining that while the US fans were “taking this seriously”, the heckles were actually in relation to a football rivalry between Manchester and Liverpool.
“It’s mostly a joke tbf,” one said. “All football-related. Nobody gets to make fun of scousers [people from Liverpool] except mancs, and vice versa.”
Someone else went on, “My girl getting caught up in a football rivalry at her concert.The way she defended him from the crowd LOL truly a short n sweet gal!”
“Americans in the comments not understanding UK banter is so funny. We promise you it’s just a joke!” assured another.
While the two northern England cities do have a fierce rivalry, one fan suggested that there was one easy way to solve the issue – by finding another fan from the south of the country!
“All we need to do to save Cal is talk to an audience member from London,” they joked. “That would unite the entire stadium.”
Sabrina Carpenter praised as ‘unintentional comedian’
Branding Carpenter an “unintentional comedian”, someone else went on, “She’s so funny, help.”
“Sabrina’s reaction to the booing was priceless! She handled it like a true queen, standing up for him with grace and humor,” another commented, while a third went on, “The way she checked the crowd… oh she’s here to stay.”
Another added how “amazing” Carpenter was for defending Cal.
“I love how she handles these types of situations with humour,” they said.
