Susan Sarandon and Sam Elliott Join Man’s Best Friend Singer for Desert Set

Sabrina Carpenter headlined the opening night of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival on April 10, 2026, in Indio, California. The performance, which Carpenter described in an interview with Perfect as the most ambitious…I’ve ever done, featured a high-concept production titled Sabrinawood that blended vintage Hollywood aesthetics with a series of high-profile celebrity cameos.

The set began just after 9 p.m. With a black-and-white short film. In the sequence, Carpenter portrayed a character described as a Hitchcock Blonde driving a 1950s classic car down a lone highway at night while singing along to Hollywood Swinging by Kool & the Gang. The cinematic intro transitioned into a scene reminiscent of the film Psycho, where Carpenter was pulled over by a police officer played by actor Sam Elliott.

Following the short film, the production shifted from black-and-white to Technicolor as Carpenter emerged from a car in real life, a transition that alluded to the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz. She entered the stage via a catwalk designed to resemble the Hollywood Walk of Fame, wearing a red glittery mini dress that served as a nod to Dorothy’s ruby slippers.

Celebrity Cameos and Theatrical Elements

The Old Hollywood-themed set integrated several iconic actors into the narrative. Susan Sarandon appeared as an older version of Carpenter, delivering a dramatic monologue from a classic car at a drive-in regarding the experience of being a star during her glory days.

Other celebrity appearances included Will Ferrell, who played a bumbling electrician, and Corey Fogelmanis, Carpenter’s former co-star from Girl Meets World, who appeared as a waiter. During an interlude, Samuel L. Jackson provided the voice for a spiritual guide. The visual production also featured background dancers dressed as poodles and Dalmatians.

Musical Performance and Discography

Carpenter opened the musical portion of her set with House Tour, a single from her latest album, Man’s Best Friend, which was released in September 2025. The album followed her 2024 release, Short & Sweet, and included plot-heavy music videos for the tracks Tears and Manchild.

The song Manchild earned Carpenter a nomination at the 2026 Grammy Awards, where she performed the track while dressed as a 1960s flight attendant. During the Coachella performance of the song, she was surrounded by the poodle and Dalmatian dancers.

The full set list for the April 10 performance included:

• House Tour
• Taste
• Busy Woman
• Manchild
• When Did You Get Hot?
• Please Please Please
• We Almost Broke Up Again Last Night
• Nobody’s Son
• Because I Liked a Boy
• My Man on Willpower
• Go Go Juice
• Such a Funny Way
• Sugar Talking
• Don’t Smile
• Feather
• Bed Chem
• Juno
• Espresso
• Tears

Festival Context and History

The 2026 headlining slot served as a fulfillment of a claim Carpenter made during her previous Coachella appearance in 2024. During that set, she told the crowd she would see you back here when I headline. During her April 10 performance, she referenced the moment, joking, If I said that and I didn’t headline, it’d be pretty fucking awkward.

Carpenter was the first of three main stage headliners for the festival. Justin Bieber headlined the main stage on Saturday, April 11, 2026, while Karol G closed the festival on Sunday, April 12, 2026. With her performance, Karol G became the first Latina artist to headline the festival.