Detroit, MI

Sabrina Carpenter in Detroit: Short n’ Sweet Tour gets big and spicy at LCA

Published

1 year ago

September 27, 2024

Sabrina Carpenter in Detroit: Short n’ Sweet Tour gets big and spicy at LCA

Sabrina Carpenter arrived Thursday at Little Caesars Arena seemingly driven by a mission: to stake a place among the leading, talking-point pop tours of 2024.

In a fun, frothy, vivacious and occasionally risqué show, the 25-year-old managed to make a solid case for it as she played to a sellout crowd in downtown Detroit on the third night of her Short n’ Sweet Tour.

“Please Please Please,” “Taste” and “Espresso” are some of the most delectably catchy tunes to come through the pop pipeline in a while, and they became cornerstones of a Thursday set list that featured all 12 numbers from “Short n’ Sweet,” the chart-topping album that lends the new tour its name. On a crisp night outside LCA that reminded us autumn is officially here, Carpenter served a 1½-hour indoor dose of sunny summertime sounds.

The signature wavy blond hair and fluttery vibrato were accompanied by ample energy from the pint-sized singer-songwriter, a 5-foot-tall star for whom “a little goes a long way,” as one video-screen inscription cheekily put it Thursday night.

She may be the year’s hottest breakout pop star, but Carpenter is no rookie: Having come through the Disney system as a teen actress a decade ago, Carpenter spent four early albums with a music career stalled in second gear.

Then came a new record deal and an A-list batch of collaborators such as Amy Allen and Jack Antonoff — and with the 2022 album “Emails I Can’t Send,” Carpenter was emphatically on to the self-proclaimed “big girl” chapter of her story. With a series of plum opening spots on Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, she was primed for another step up, and “Short n’ Sweet” delivered it in a potent way this summer.

Sabrina Carpenter remembers her first concert in Michigan

Sabrina Carpenter, making her Little Caesars Arena debut on Thursday, reflected on a far less flashy visit to metro Detroit in 2016.

After previous stops at venues such as the Fillmore Detroit and Masonic Temple Theatre — along with Pontiac’s cozy Pike Room in 2016, as she recounted onstage Thursday — Carpenter was going full-scale with this latest Motor City visit.

On a main stage designed as a two-story New York penthouse apartment, Carpenter spent the first stretch of her LCA show in a pink negligée, kicking things off with the lush textures of “Taste” and “Good Graces” while undergirding “Slim Pickins” and “Lie to Girls” with vintage pop chording that revealed the old-school inspirations that fuel her latest work.

The night unfolded as a turn-of-the-’80s TV program, complete with voiceovers, videotaped mock-commercials and a pair of oversized studio cameras onstage to drive home the point. Carpenter would later emerge in a black bodysuit for a cocktail party segment (with a jazzy take on “Feather”) and sparkling gown for an elegant “Dumb & Poetic,” and the live episode would include a roll of closing credits listing tour personnel.

Her lyrics are laced with sexual references — some upfront, some implicit — but Carpenter gives it all a self-aware wink that makes it more camp than coarse. On Thursday, “Bed Chem” had her briefly writhing in a plush bedroom suite, while the exuberant dance-pop of “Juno” came with a quick flash of panties following a round of flirting with a Brighton fan named Dakota down front. She led the mostly teenage, female crowd in a call-and-response spotlighting three words: “camaraderie,” “horny” and “friendship.”

But the Short n’ Sweet show was otherwise a standard pop extravaganza that stayed between the lines, with 11 dancers, a four-piece band, a pair of backing singers and a confetti-blasted finale supplementing the action. (Then again, not every standard pop concert includes a lengthy black-and-white clip from 1966 with Leonard Cohen musing on poetry — as Thursday’s show did — so maybe something a little deeper is afoot here.)

Carpenter is proficient as a live performer and serviceable as a singer, but her real power lies in the craftsmanship of her songs. They’re astutely crafted pop tunes, more sophisticated than they might seem at first listen, nodding to previous golden eras without lapsing into retro laziness.

The menu of preshow music that kept fans occupied before the 9:05 p.m. start helped tell that tale: selections of ’70s disco-pop (ABBA, Andy Gibb), ’80s power pop (the La’s) and ’90s melodic rock (the Cardigans), foreshadowing the blend of influences that would inform Carpenter’s own set.

At one point, gathered with her dance crew on a heart-shaped B-stage, Carpenter played musical spin-the-bottle — a game to determine one cover-song performance for the evening. Having tackled ABBA in Columbus and Shania Twain in Toronto, she gave Detroit a rendition of “Kiss Me,” the 1999 alt-rock-pop hit by Sixpence None the Richer.

A soft-lit “Don’t Smile” closed the regular set before Carpenter returned, a Detroit-branded coffee mug in hand, to kick into the inevitable encore of “Espresso,” the career-defining hit with the instantly memorable hooks.

In a pop era that includes the likes of Charlie XCX, Chappell Roan and Olivia Rodrigo, Carpenter may not be the most cutting-edge figure rocking the mainstream right now. But she’s clearly carving out a distinctive creative lane of her own — and we’ll see if Short n’ Sweet can grow into something long and lasting.

Contact Detroit Free Press music writer Brian McCollum: 313-223-4450 or bmccollum@freepress.com.

Source link

Click to comment

Detroit, MI

Debating Mike McDaniel’s fit for Detroit Lions OC job

Published

4 hours ago

January 9, 2026

Press Room

Debating Mike McDaniel’s fit for Detroit Lions OC job

But we also can’t ignore the drastic fall-off from the Dolphins’ offense. Partially because of injuries to Tua Tagovailoa and Tyreek Hill over the past two seasons, the Dolphins have finished 22nd and 25th in scoring offense in 2024 and 2025, respectively. Injuries can be used as an excuse, but the greatest coordinators find a way through the adversity.

Beyond that, there are questions about his philosophical and schematic fit. While the Lions have built their offenses on grit and physicality, McDaniel seems to favor speed and finesse. But maybe that’s exactly what the Lions need. Detroit has two speedy players in Jameson Williams and Jahmyr Gibbs, who could probably be utilized more creatively, and it’s hard to imagine anyone better than McDaniel to do so.

McDaniel also has a very long coaching history with a lot of different coaching influences and schemes—including his closest coaching guru: Kyle Shanahan. The 49ers head coach has a scheme that is both more congruent with what the Lions do and much more adaptable.

On this EMERGENCY PODCAST, our crew debates the fit of McDaniel in Detroit, along with our thoughts on the Lions’ other known candidate: Commanders quarterbacks coach David Blough.

Before that, Erik Schlitt, Ryan Mathews, and I discuss our biggest takeaways from Lions general manager Brad Holmes’ end-of-season press conference, including the future of David Montgomery, whether Holmes really took accountability for his mistakes, and our confidence in him moving forward.

You can catch our discussion in the embedded podcast below or on any podcasting platform you’d prefer. Just search “Pride of Detroit.”

You can also catch video of the show over on our YouTube pages. Here are the links:

Source link

Detroit, MI

Tarik Skubal, Tigers can’t agree on 2026 salary. Here’s what happens

Published

16 hours ago

January 8, 2026

Press Room

Tarik Skubal, Tigers can’t agree on 2026 salary. Here’s what happens

The Detroit Tigers and left-hander Tarik Skubal did not agree to terms on a one-year contract for the 2026 season before the 8 p.m. deadline Thursday, Jan. 8, to exchange salary figures in the arbitration process.

Skubal filed at $32 million; the Tigers filed at $19 million.

It’s a difference of $13 million.

An arbitration panel will review the case during a hearing scheduled for late January or early to mid-February. The arbitrators must determine whether Skubal is worth more or less than the $25.5 million midpoint. If he’s worth more, they will select his $32 million proposal; if less, they will select the Tigers’ $19 million proposal. The panel isn’t allowed to choose a salary in between $19 million and $32 million.

The Tigers operate as a file-and-trial club in salary arbitration under president of baseball operations Scott Harris, meaning there won’t be further negotiations with Skubal regarding a one-year contract. A multi-year contract could still be negotiated, but it’s highly unlikely.

Skubal – represented by agent Scott Boras – reaches free agency after the 2026 season. The 29-year-old is positioned to become the first pitcher in MLB history to receive a $400 million contract.

If the two sides were to reach an agreement before a hearing, it would likely be a one-year contract with a player option, thus maintaining Skubal’s path to free agency in the 2026-27 offseason.

The reigning back-to-back American League Cy Young winner was projected by MLB Trade Rumors to receive $17.8 million in his third and final year of salary arbitration. He previously earned $2.65 million in 2024, then $10.15 million in 2025.

Why couldn’t the Tigers and Skubal agree on a salary for 2026?

The arbitration case for Skubal is unusually complex, thanks to a rarely used provision highlighted by ESPN’s Jeff Passan. Because Skubal has more than five years of MLB service time, he isn’t limited to comparing himself only to past arbitration-eligible players. Instead, he can compare himself to any player in baseball.

Those unique rights allow Skubal – who has five years, 114 days of service time – to point to MLB’s highest-paid pitchers (such as Max Scherzer’s $43.3 million per year from 2022-24 or Zack Wheeler’s $42 million per year from 2025-27), arguing that his elite performance warrants a salary in that range – not in the $17.8 million range, as projected by MLB Trade Rumors.

That’s what pushed the Tigers and Skubal to an arbitration hearing.

[ MUST LISTEN: Make “Days of Roar” your go-to Tigers podcast, available anywhere you listen to podcasts (Apple, Spotify) ]

The current record for the largest one-year arbitration contract belongs to outfielder Juan Soto, who agreed to $31 million with the New York Yankees for the 2024 season.

If Skubal wins the arbitration hearing, he will surpass Soto and claim the new record with his proposed $32 million salary. If Skubal loses, then he will earn the $19 million salary proposed by the Tigers.

There are two other arbitration records on the line.

The highest-paid arbitration-eligible pitcher belongs to right-hander David Price, who earned $19.75 million with the Tigers in 2015 – his fourth year in the arbitration process as a Super Two qualifier. The largest raise for an arbitration-eligible pitcher belongs to right-hander Jacob deGrom, who surged from $7.4 million to $17 million – an increase of $9.6 million – with the New York Mets in 2019.

Those records for pitchers will belong to Skubal – but only if his proposed $32 million salary is selected by the arbitration panel. He will fall just short of the records if the panel selects the Tigers’ proposed $19 million.

Skubal is the best pitcher in baseball.

More notably, he is on a Hall of Fame trajectory.

In 2025, Skubal registered a 2.21 ERA with 33 walks (4.4% walk rate) and 241 strikeouts (32.2% strikeout rate) across 195⅓ innings in 31 starts. He made the All-Star Game for the second time in his six-year MLB career.

Skubal became the first back-to-back AL Cy Young winner since right-hander Pedro Martínez in 1999-2000, leading the AL with a 2.39 ERA in 2024 and a 2.21 ERA in 2025.

The Tigers haven’t been to an arbitration hearing since right-hander Michael Fulmer in 2019.

Fulmer lost the case, receiving the Tigers’ proposed $2.8 million salary rather than his requested $3.4 million. Before that hearing, the Tigers hadn’t participated in an arbitration hearing since 2001 – and the Tigers haven’t lost a case since 2000.

Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.

Listen to our weekly Tigers show “Days of Roar” every Monday afternoon during the season and Tuesday afternoon during the offseason on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Source link

Detroit, MI

Former Detroit Tigers starting pitcher is Rockies’ first signing of winter

Published

1 day ago

January 8, 2026

Press Room

Former Detroit Tigers starting pitcher is Rockies’ first signing of winter

DETROIT — Former Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Michael Lorenzen has signed a one-year, $8 million contract with the Colorado Rockies.

It’s the first signing of the offseason for the Rockies under new president Paul DePodesta. The deal includes a $9 million club option for 2027.

It’s the fifth straight winter that Lorenzen has signed a one-year deal following a seven-season tenure with the Cincinnati Reds.

Lorenzen, who turned 34 this week, signed a free-agent deal with the Tigers before the 2023 season. He made 18 starts and was selected for his first appearance in the All-Star Game before being dealt to the Philadelphia Phillies at the trade deadline for infield prospect Hao-Yu Lee.

After a strong start with his new team that included a no-hitter, Lorenzen was moved to the bullpen and pitched sparingly in the postseason.

He found a quiet reception on the free-agent market, agreeing to a discounted one-year deal with the Texas Rangers before the 2024 season. He was traded to the Royals at the deadline and pitched well down the stretch, going 2-0 with a 1.57 ERA in 28 2/3 innings with his new team.

He re-signed with the Royals in 2025 and put together another solid season, posting a 4.64 ERA in 141 innings with 127 strikeouts and 39 walks.

Colorado is known as an unforgiving home for pitchers, and the Rockies lost a league-worst 119 games in 2025.