Ethereal Metal

Zach Brehany | Contributor

DISCLAIMER: The following review is based on clips and phone-recorded footage of the event. I was not actually in attendance for this event.

The audience has died down a bit from the premiere of Anne Rice’s The Vampire Lestat. The excitement got everyone up and ready, pumped for the next event. From when this adaptation became a reality and we learned that their version of TVL was going to lean heavily into the rock persona, the dream of Sam Reid actually performing as Lestat was everywhere. From his preternatural appearance and the wide acclaim he has earned from both seasons of Interview With The Vampire, this was an idea we wanted to see. From the five singles released so far and one or two tracks that were leaked, we knew something special was here (for more information, look up the reviews posted on this site).

And the first few moments of a darkened stage with the VL logo in the background set the tone for what was to come. As the opening to ITWV (Interview with the Orchestra) cues up on the speakers, all the band members for the night, including composer and co-writer Daniel Hart, get their instruments ready. After a few moments, Hart begins the opening Long Face. The audience is starting to vibrate and pulse. The drums kick in and the entirety of the world stops in time. From the audience’s left side, He appears.

Not Sam Reid. Yes, it’s his body, but that wasn’t him we were feeling. In interviews, Rolin Jones (showrunner) and producer Mark Johnson have stated that when they are making this series that the spirit of Lestat takes over the body of Sam Reid. With a hand on his waist, a vest over his tone and scarred body, a look of sadistic pleasure in his eyes, we all understood what Jones and Johnson meant when they spoke of Lestat’s soul.

As someone who has been in love with this franchise since 2008, the image of someone so fully consumed by a character has never been as apparent as seeing that man strut on stage. Grabbing the microphone, the vampire begins the opening notes to the first single.

A little backstory on actor Sam Reid: he is not a trained singer or musician. He only learned what would be needed to perform in the show as this character. But if I didn’t know that, you would think he had been training his entire life for that moment.

During the entire performance, six songs were performed live: Long Face, Big Bad Wolf (unreleased), Your Biggest Fan, The Loneliness (unreleased), Brutal Love, and Butterscotch Bitch. He effortlessly blasted through everything, giving a stage and vocal performance very few people can achieve. Between the songs, he does banter in character as he discusses some of the inspiration for the tracks.

The one new one that stayed with me the most would be Big Bad Wolf. As discussed previously, a part of the reason why his character goes on the journey he does is to correct what he sees as mistakes and lies that have been told about him. Regardless of how we may interpret his actions, moods, and ideology, he knows that he is seen as a stand-in for being pure evil, vicious, a wolf waiting for his sheep to arrive. While he doesn’t completely disregard that, he does make it clear that we will get his tale and his side, noting that certain things (like him playing the Harlequin instead of Lelio) are wrong. Thankfully, his music can help clear his name, right?

Right.

As the performance went on, you could see how this could work if they actually toured like this. The chemistry of the band members is beyond thick, it’s noticeable from wherever you are. While there are moments when certain lyrics were wrong, a few musicians kind of skipped a bit here and there, it’s all part of the show. We don’t want a clean, squeaky-clean, almost pure business kind of show. We have those all the time.

Here the roughness is appropriate. Here the edges are not smooth. But that’s the point and anything else would feel right. This is how music should be. This is how art needs to stay. There is a human quality to it that most artists avoid like the plague. Completely perfect.

At the end, once he is finished with the last song, he gives credit to the band before shouting with the last bit of energy he had: I AM THE VAMPIRE LESTAT. Chills, anxiety, butterflies, all of that and more were leaking out from the audience along with those who watched on their phones. There is no other way this could have ended, and it’s completely perfect.

Now, do I think we will ever have a legitimate tour? No, sadly I doubt it. But that’s okay. This was a moment that showed the world that this is the next step we all take in our lives, showed people the power, love, and energy this fandom has had and kept, regardless of whether they had been following the original novel or jumped on with the TV version. While I know some people are going to compare this to the soundtrack to the 2002 “adaptation” of Queen of the Damned, this is a complete work of art and one that should be studied.

Easily one of the great musical highlights of the year, no questions asked.