MSNBC Live: Like Comic-Con for News Nerds

Comic book superfans have San Diego Comic-Con. Bravo superfans have BravoCon. And now dedicated MSNBC viewers have an in-person experience to satiate their particular strain of superfandom.

The network took over the Brooklyn Academy of Music on Saturday for MSNBC Live: Democracy 2024, a day-long event that put more than 4,000 of its most-dedicated viewers in the same room with 15 of its most-watched hosts to hear their analysis and hot takes on the 2024 presidential election.

And just as with Comic-Con and BravoCon, long lines, packed panels, boisterous meet-and-greets and overall fan enthusiasm were the order of the day at MSNBC Live. (The only thing missing? Cosplay.) An hour before the event kicked off, the security line to enter BAM wrapped all the way around the mammoth main building in downtown Brooklyn.

TVNewser was in the house for the afternoon session, a two-hour lineup that kicked off with a welcome by the public face of MSNBC Live, Luke Russert. First up was the dynamic duo of Steve Kornacki and Katy Tur, who walked the audience through the current state of the race between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump with the aid of Kornacki’s famed big board.

Russert solicited and encouraged audience interaction in his introduction, and the crowd didn’t hold back as the political correspondent swiped through chart after chart on his magic screen. Cheers erupted anytime that he called out stats that pointed to a Harris victory, while mentions of Trump reaching 270 electoral college votes solicited the kind of Bronx cheers normally reserved for super villains like Lex Luthor or the Kingpin.

Kornacki rolled with all of the audience participation, only getting thrown off his game once. In the midst of a deep dive into the current state of play in Pennsylvania, a resident of that battleground state began shouting at the stage from his seat in the upper balcony, causing heads to turn. The interloper never finished his thought, though, seemingly quieted down by either his companions or BAM security.

Another tense moment occurred during the afternoon’s second panel when Andrea Mitchell alluded to the Israel-Hamas war—a subject that remains a lightening rod in progressive circles. The Andrea Mitchell Reports host acknowledged both sides of the debate, emphasizing the horror of the Oct. 7 attacks against Israel by Hamas, while also calling attention to the ongoing human rights crisis in Gaza.

Apart from some scattered applause, Mitchell’s comments were largely met with stony silence and panel emcee Jen Psaki quickly pivoted to other topics. The issue wasn’t addressed again for the rest of the afternoon.

Leave it to Brooklyn’s own Joy Reid to get BAM’s pulse racing again. Taking the stage with Alex Wagner, The ReidOut host received a Luke Skywalker-style hero’s welcome, with multiple audience members leaping up from their seats and shouting her name.

The pair rewarded the crowd with the loosest and most laugh-filled panel of the afternoon, recapping their experience at the 2024 Democratic National Convention—including that famous potato chip pic—and lavishing praise on President Joe Biden for choosing to step down from the race and handing the baton to Harris.

Reid’s rock star status in her home borough was confirmed in a jam-packed meet-and-greet session with fans held after the afternoon session wrapped up. “I watch your show every night!” one devoted viewer could be heard hollering at Reid over the din of the crowd.

Prestigious law professor Kate Shaw and her husband Chris Hayes anchored the afternoon’s final panel, which navigated the thorny legal questions that might come into play on and before Election Night.

Both raised the specter of the U.S. Supreme Court potentially putting its hand on the electoral scales—a thought experiment that clearly scared the crowd more than the prospect of sitting through another Ant-Man movie.

MSNBC’s BAM takeover carried on into the evening hours, with Ari Melber, Stephanie Ruhle, Lawrence O’Donnell and, of course, Rachel Maddow appearing onstage during the two-hour evening session. Highlights from both programs will air as part of a primetime special premiering Sept. 14 at 9 p.m. ET.

Maddow was also in the house for one of three screenings of the documentary From Russia with Lev, which hails from her Surprise Inside production company. Already acquired by MSNBC Films, the movie will embark on a cross-country tour ahead of its network debut later this month.

The curtain came down on MSNBC Live’s big day in Brooklyn with a seated dinner and reception attended by its hosts and deep-pocketed premium ticket holders. Like all of the day’s events, that dinner was a sold out affair.

MSNBC isn’t the first news outlet to discover how live events appeal to the enthusiasm—and purchasing power—of an engaged fandom. Fox News has been hosting sold out events for its dedicated conservative-leaning audience since 2019 and publications ranging from The Atlantic to The New Yorker have leaned into live programming in the media’s ongoing hunt for new revenue streams.

Based on the reaction in the room, it’s easy to imagine MSNBC Live heading back to Brooklyn on an annual basis. And hey, if the MSNBC faithful can pack BAM to the rafters, don’t be surprised if Barclays Center is their next stop.