The novel begins in New Orleans in 1984. Lestat introduces himself to the reader as a vampire whose human life ended in the 1780s. He is also a rock star and the author of an autobiography. Lestat went underground in 1929 and was awakened by the sounds of radio waves, and specifically a band called Satan’s Night Out.

The band practices a block away from where Lestat sleeps under his house, near the Lafayette Cemetery. He rises up to feed on animals at first, then kills human murderers, never anyone innocent. He hires a lawyer who helps him move his fortune around and obtain identification. Lestat learns about the changes that have happened while he slumbered, and is amazed at the wealth of the mid-1980s.

Lestat spends some time reading books, talking to people, and watching films. He then introduces himself as the vampire Lestat to the members of Satan’s Night Out—Alex, Larry, and Tough Cookie—and tells them he wants to join the band. After Lestat plays some supernatural music for them, the band members are thrilled he wants to join. They recognize his name from the book Interview With the Vampire, and think he is imitating one of the characters from it.