2019 Favorites: March — Sabrina Carpenter Concert @ House of Blues

I went to London for the first time and Philadelphia, but a former Disney-star takes the cake.

In a venture that is equal parts keeping track of some of the favorite things that happen in 2019 and also stretching my writing muscles to think about things other than sports (and more specifically), I’m going to post about my favorite things I come by each month. That includes anything from a movie to a tweet to a great meal. Here’s to enjoying, and remembering, the best parts of the year.

January: Maggie Rogers’ Heard It In A Past Life
February: Desus & Mero Return On Showtime

Favorite of the month: Sabrina Carpenter concert (House of Blues, Las Vegas)

“I’m meeting up with my little cousin.”

This was the lie I told the security guard at the House of Blues in Las Vegas when he asked if I was excited for the night’s act, Sabrina Carpenter.. It was an appropriate, even innocent, question. I mean, I clearly had to go out of my way to purchase tickets, but still, an unsettling amount of guilt came with voluntarily attending a concert where most people my age were actually escorting younger siblings or cousins.

Or maybe they were lying to the security guards, too.

Born in a small-town in Pennsylvania, Carpenter broke through when she was cast in Disney’s Girl Meets World, the sequel series to the beloved Boy Meets World. For the show’s three seasons, Carpenter was Maya Hart and essentially filled in as the Shawn Hunter character for the show’s protagonist. During that run — which also included a remake of Adventures in Babysitting — Carpenter released two albums: Eyes Wide Open and Evolution.

Sonically, her music has moved from Young Teen Pop Star to something, for lack of better terms, older. With each release, it seemed like she felt more agency to move beyond bright and starry music. EVOLution dabbled in more of these synth-heavy sounds, and singles like Alien and Why shed light on how her voice can be worked into dancey pop music. Singular: Act I feels like Carpenter getting a stranglehold on the kind of music she wants to make right now, and it allows her to flex the athleticism in her voice a lot more.

How she brings this project to life is to watch growth happen in real-time. Most of the crowd at House of Blues were younger girls crowding the stage and parents lingering toward the back. As it was my first time as an Older Person at a concert, I opted to take the show in with my back against the wall.

Watching Carpenter move — usually with a couple dancers flanking her — it’s hard not to think of Disney stars past. Thus, it’s hard not to think of the troubles those stars faced once they were spit out of the Mickey Mouse Machine. But Carpenter isn’t Miley Cyrus, Selena Gomez nor the Jonas Brothers even though she is signed to the same label, Hollywood Records, that launched those stars as well (to each of their credit, all people previously mentioned seem to be doing just fine). Maybe she learned from some of the coming-of-age awkwardness from that generation. Maybe not.

Even when she was busy playing the rebellious Maya Hart, I always thought Carpenter was the person that would come out of the show with the biggest profile. Rowan Blanchard, who played Corey and Topanga’s daughter Riley, played the hell out of the rainbows-and-butterflies role she was given, but Hart had more room to play with. That, combined with her obvious musical chops, painted a clear path to her being “next.” In the run-up to this album, Carpenter talked about how this album wasn’t a forced step into more “mature” music, but rather an unveiling of a type of music she might have always been working toward. She moves with that same confidence, like this is the performer she always has been, but the weight of how she broke through always casting a frame around what she could be.

To see her in concert is to see as polished a performer as you could find at her age. Carpenter dominates the stage, even when she lowers herself to almost eye-level with the crowd, or when she kneels before belting out a powerful note. Despite her smaller frame, her presence filled out the scarce stage.

Sure, it was a little weird being a guy in his mid-20s attending a concert by himself and the headliner being someone primarily known as a teenage actor on Disney Channel once upon a time. It also felt strange seeing that former Disney-star move the way she moved and sang about what she sang about, but it was undeniably good watching someone talented doing their thing while also seeming very OK about doing their thing. In a way, it gave me the validation — which I didn’t really need but sought — that liking this thing was also OK, not only because the thing was good, but also just because I enjoy it. I’d like to think that’s how Carpenter attacked this project and this concert: making what she liked regardless of her pedigree and past, free to move, asking us to just follow along.

Honorable Mentions:

Better Oblivion Community Center concert (Bunkhouse Saloon, Las Vegas)

Watching Phoebe Bridgers and Conor Oberst for less than $40 felt like an absolute steal when I bought the tickets, and that feeling didn’t go away afterward. These two collaborating felt like it came out of left field. For Bridgers, it was pretty much a heat check after her debut album Stranger in the Alps landed on many best-of-2017 lists and boygenius, her team-up with Lucy Dacus and Julien Baker, brought one of the best-received projects of 2018.

Not to sound extremely cliche, but watching the two perform “Lua” from Oberst’s Bright Eyes days was a personal landmark. I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning ranks as my favorite album ever. I’d sought that track in need of somber comfort: on long road-trips, laying on dorm-room floors, alone in my room. Hearing Bridgers and Oberst alternate the first two verses before coming together felt like my 18-year-old self meeting me in the crowd, holding my hand, and listening to the song find its new life.

Cheese Toastie @ Kappacasein (London, England)

A lot of things were going wrong when I walked up to Kappacasein. It being my first time in Europe, I was incredibly stressed. I hadn’t purchased international data (rookie move, I know), but I downloaded a Google Map to help me out throughout the week. Finding the tube station was an adventure, as was figuring out which way I was going, but once I walked up to Borough Market, I got into the line and tried to remember to breathe.

Finally, I got what was basically a supercharged grilled cheese, and the moment I bit in — not to sound dramatic — but every worry I had melted away. All that mattered was the buttery, crunchy bread and the melted cheese that hugged every taste bud I had. It was exactly what I needed to conquer jet lag and settle me into what turned out to be a great week in London.

Ethiopian Flavours (London, England)

I was already several dishes in when I walked up to this stand, but as soon as I found it, my stomach made way for the gigantic pans of beef and chicken and the abundantly bright veggies. I rocked with the beef, rice, split peas and green beans with a little bit of hot sauce, and it was exactly as tasty as it looked. Everything blended wonderfully and stood out on its own. It was easily one of the best food experiences I’ve ever had.

If Beale Street Could Talk

I know I’m incredibly late to this movie, but regardless, Barry Jenkins is so deft at creating emotions you think you can touch through the screen. Brian Tyree Henry steals the movie in his short time on screen, and it is pretty disappointing he didn’t catch more buzz as a Best Supporting Actor nominee.

Cheesesteak @ Max’s Steaks (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)

If you ask 20 Philadelphians where you should get their city’s most-famous sandwich, you’ll probably get different answers from each of them. The only consensus I really got was I should ignore the famous Pat’s or Geno’s debate, and venture Somewhere Else. There were a lot of Somewhere Elses, but I eventually settled on Max’s Steaks in North Philadelphia for the least-sourced reason: It was in Creed.

There’s a scene in the spinoff sequel to the Rocky franchise where Bianca, played by Tessa Thompson, takes Michael B. Jordan’s Adonis Johnson (aka Creed) to go eat. Since Adonis is from Los Angeles, she takes him to Max’s for a proper steak, and Max’s gets the call. I mostly focused on not seeming like a tourist, but once I started eating, it was hard to stop what was an out-of-body experience.