The documentary, ‘Long Live Montero,’ which follows the artist on his first big tour, shows how he dealt with sudden fame
If you missed Lil Nas X‘s Long Live Montero tour in 2022 or 2023, or if you just want to relive it, you’ll get a chance to see it on HBO later this month. The concert documentary Lil Nas X: Long Live Montero — which previously premiered at last year’s Toronto Film Festival — will get a wide premiere at 8 p.m. ET on Jan. 27 on the network, according to The Hollywood Reporter, and it will also be available to stream on Max.
Filmmakers Carlos López Estrada, who received an Oscar nomination for Raya and the Last Dragon in 2022, and Zac Manuel, who is making his directorial debut with Long Live Montero, helmed the film together. In addition to footage of the tour, the picture includes interviews with the artist in which he reflects on his career so far and his sexuality. “[The directors] follow [Lil Nas X] around as he navigates the perilous waters of sudden celebrity, faces backlash from conservatives for his proudly queer songs and imagery, and bonds with fans who embrace his ability to bridge gaps while staying true to himself,” Rolling Stone reported last year.
Last summer, video of Lil Nas X’s performance of “Montero (Call Me by Your Name)” at Glastonbury showed him dressed in a feathery white costume while men danced around him and smoke billowed out of the stage. “You wanna see my snake?” he asked the crowd to a loud cheer, and the dancers brought out a giant cobra puppet for him to dance with.
Rolling Stone also gave a positive review to Lil Nas X’s performance at Bonnaroo last June, calling it the “most dynamic” concert of the festival. “For the diverse and youthful crowd that screamed wildly as he emerged from each costume change and hung on every word of non–’Old Town’ material like the punk rock–inspired ‘That’s What I Want’ and brass-laden ‘Industry Baby,’ it wasn’t about where the unabashedly queer mega-talent born [artist] had been — it was about where he’s going,” the magazine wrote. “Falling right at the midpoint of Pride month, it made an ironclad case for Lil Nas as the right man at the right moment — the type of set sure to be talked about for years to come.”
