It starts with a screening. It’s a normal enough beginning for those lucky enough to live in L.A. and New York, but the event already kicks off as something special for those who have traveled from neighboring states to see if a man playing an immortal vampire playing a regular musician who definitely isn’t a real vampire (or so his human bandmates think) can live up to a once in a lifetime one-night engagement.
People from Boston took a five-hour train to be able to attend the event, while others drove up from Philly to get to experience Sam Reid’s Lestat play live. This journalist herself trekked from coast to coast, and while no one found in the crowd traveled a similar distance, there is little doubt that others had.
Of course, calling something a “once in a lifetime event” doesn’t immediately make it so, even if technically true in the sense that it will only occur once. For something to be truly once in a lifetime, it needs a certain level of showmanship. Of presence. To make the hurdle even taller, live performances are inherently challenging. The stagecraft has to run seamlessly, the A/V equipment can’t hiccup once, and the performance has to be worthwhile enough to experience live rather than listening to a polished studio recording.
When it was announced that the event would screen the first episode of “The Vampire Lestat” (FKA “Interview with the Vampire” in Seasons 1 and 2), my own concerns over the performance deepened further. Watching an episode featuring performances first meant witnessing the most polished version of the production possible directly before seeing what Reid and the band were going to put on live.
None of those concerns were founded.
The energy upon arriving at The Beacon Theatre in Manhattan was immediately that of a rock concert. The Season 3 premiere of the series follows Lestat as he demands millions (no, billions) of fans recognize his musical genius. Such numbers don’t fit in any stadium, but the musically inclined vamp would have preened if he could see the thousands of fans (2,894 fit in The Beacon, to be exact) losing their minds at his presence, let alone the additional numbers rounding the block desperate for a ticket to open up so they could live out their immortal dreams.
Prior to the event, anyone who signed up for a ticket received an email letting them know that “all tickets had been released.” But eager fans with the means still made their way to Manhattan in hopes of nabbing a ticket or getting a chance to see Reid and the band at the stage door.
Meagan L. made her way from upstate New York on the off chance that things worked out, noting that “even if something doesn’t open up, I still get a chance to see Sam [Reid] and Jacob [Anderson]. I’m not as far away as other people I’ve talked to in the lines, so it was worth the trip.”
While Anderson wasn’t explicitly announced for the show, the general assumption was that he and the rest of the cast would be in attendance. That assumption paid off, as fans had the opportunity to see the series showrunners and cast walk the red carpet ahead of doors.
Inside the hall, a combination of ardent fans, influencers, press and series cast and crew made their way to their seats for the screening. Having been to both, it’s worth mentioning that the Alamo Drafthouse’s self-described rowdy screenings for titles like “Cats” couldn’t hold a candle to the energy in the room. Fans hooted and hollered as the debauchery of the Season 3 premiere unfolded on screen, but that was just an appetizer for the energy on display once Reid took the stage as his vampiric alter ego.
The band playing at The Beacon was not the same band fans will see on screen, instead made up of series composer Daniel Hart, band members Matthew Santos, Meg Toohey, Bobak Loftipour, Nelly Efron and, of course, Reid himself. The chords for “Long Face” echoed across the hall as Reid took the stage, met immediately by the deafening roar of a crowd that had begun to lose their minds well before seeing the star with their own eyes.
The “ooh, ooh, ooh, ah, ahs” began, and the sheer force of rockstar energy continued uninterrupted for the 30-minute set. In addition to “Long Face” Reid and company played original songs “Big Bad Wolf,” “Your Biggest Fan,” “The Loneliness,” “Brutal Love” and “Butterscotch Bitch.” Each song was, of course, met by a costume change from Reid, offering everything from flowing robes to glittering tanks and scruffy jackets. Not one to disappoint, Reid ensured the Lestat groupies in the crowd got a vested-but-shirtless number as well.
There’s been no doubt that Reid is capable of encapsulating Lestat de Lioncourt’s messy energy or his impressive musical skill since the show’s premiere in 2022, but that he was able to pull off such a performance on stage is a different beast entirely. Reid obviously has stage experience, and that resume ensured that he was able to tackle his character with as much ease as Lestat fending off a fledgling. The actor transformed in every way, from how he carried himself to the lilt of his vocals, blowing kisses and crawling around on stage like he knew exactly what he was doing to the feral fans in the seats in front of him.
When the in-character set list concluded, Reid sauntered off stage with little more than a note that the audience had gotten what they deserved from his immortal alter ego and bid farewell to his beasties. Cries of “encore” were left ignored as auditorium music played the audience out, acting as the final cap of character-appropriate drama from the haughty vampire’s actor.
Reid, of course, greeted fans at the stage door before making his way to the afterparty with the rest of the cast and attendees lucky enough to score a wrist band.
“Interview with the Vampire” has been undervalued in its time at AMC despite its loyal fanbase and critical acclaim. In a way, this concert felt like the studio calling its shot. Like the events team squared its shoulders, put on their best Lestat voice and insisted that they’d be ignored no longer. Whether or not Season 3 and its newly bombastic nature with the shift in perspective from Anderson’s Louis to Reid’s Lestat is what will jettison the series into the wider zeitgeist remains to be seen, but two things are certain: Sam Reid deserves hearty awards recognition for his performances both on screen and on stage, and no one will doubt the event gods at AMC the next time they say their live show will be unmissable.
“The Vampire Lestat” premieres Sunday on AMC and AMC+.
