The Post got a sneak preview of Reeve Carney, the star of “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark,” the Broadway musical due to open this fall.
But instead of singing on the Great White Way, Reeve, 27, spun a superhero performance at the Bowery Ballroom on Tuesday as lead singer of his LA rock quartet, Carney.
Even “Spider-Man” director Julie Taymor gushed after the show. As Reeve signed autographs in the basement lounge, the Broadway heavyweight and “Lion King” director gave the singer a wraparound hug, saying, “My baby! That was fantastic!”
It was. U2’s Bono and The Edge wrote the songs for the musical, but Reeve didn’t offer any from the dynamic duo. Instead, he played an explosive set in which he showed off his three-octave rock ‘n’ roll range, dipping into a baritone one moment and scaling to an impossibly high falsetto the next. His guitar work was tight, and he and his band have that special ESP where, without a word, everybody knows exactly where a jam is heading.
The performance was only enhanced by Reeve’s movie-star looks, reminiscent of a young Johnny Depp.
Carney fans needn’t fret. When Reeve does make his Broadway debut, it won’t break up the band — because the band will be coming with him.
“They’ll be part of the orchestra in the pit,” he told The Post. “And [Carney] is planning on finding club dates around the city to play after-hours.”
As for working with rock icons Bono and The Edge, he describes the experience as “surreal.”
For those there to see Reeve rock, he delivered — and the band managed to stretch just eight songs into an hour of extended exotic jams.
They were varied, too — from the gypsy jazz of “Amelie” to the psychedelic blues of “Testify.”
While Reeve is pure confidence and sweat when singing, he was humble about his pending theatrical role. “Since we’re in New York, I thought I’d mention I’m going to be playing Spider-Man on Broadway. If you like us tonight, then come see the show,” he said to the crowd.
Ezra Johnson, a 26-year-old musician from Harlem who’s been following Carney for years, said, “When he said that Spider-Man stuff, I thought it was a joke. His voice reminds me so much of [the late] Jeff Buckley. I don’t know how it will sound on [the Broadway] stage, but he was excellent tonight.”
We agree.