Bill Murray & His Blood Brothers
w/ Dan Tyminski and Phillip Lammonds
The Ryman Auditorium; Nashville, TN
October 22, 2025
Review by Philip Obenschain. Photos by Mary-Beth Blankenship.
When I say Bill Murray, you probably think of his acting accomplishments- from SNL to iconic ’80s comedies to a turn to the dramatic in the ’90s and ’00s- or even, perhaps, his pop culture status as something of a folksy figure with a reputation for showing up in expected places. But, unless you’re thinking of musical roles like The Jungle Book or his Nick the Lounge Singer SNL sketch, or you’re really deep down the rabbit hole, and you know about his 2017 classical and poetry album New Worlds, you almost certainly wouldn’t immediately think “musician.” A lifelong music fan though, and someone who clearly chases joy wherever he can find it, Bill has, since last year, been touring on and off as part of a band dubbed Bill Murray & His Blood Brothers, delighting fans across the nation with classic covers, and just generally bringing those Bill Murray good vibes. The group recently made their Nashville debut at The Ryman Auditorium, and as lifelong fans of Murray’s, we had to see his latest side quest in action. Read on for our full review!
When I first saw this show announcement I was both confused and delighted. Bill Murray live?? Would it be music? Comedy? Something else entirely? Before the show though, I got up to speed, and discovered that it was, in fact, a pretty conventional rock show, featuring Murray plopped right into a fanatic array of blues rock players (the story goes, I believe, that he was introduced to Blood Brothers duo Mike Zito and Albert Castiglia by his own brother, joined them for a performance at a golf event, really hit it off, and the rest is history). Though Murray’s name is top billing, he’ll be the first to tell you he’s far from a bandleader (on a recent Kimmel appearance, he basically said it’s just billed that way for visibility), and he’s as much an ensemble player as the rest, only occasionally taking lead vocals, and spending the rest of the night mostly jamming on percussion and watching his friends and bandmates with adoration. After an opening set from Dan Tyminski and Phillip Lammonds- which, unfortunately, we mostly missed, arriving a little late- The Ryman was packed, and it seemed like I wasn’t alone in my curiosity about exactly what the vibe of this show would be. I noticed that while there were plenty of millennial Murray fans like myself, the audience skewed a bit older than I’m used to, which, honestly is probably the best demographic for a lot of the classic rock and blues cuts the 75-year-old Murray and his band would go on to play.
The show kicked off with Zito and Castiglia front and center, rocking out to a rendition of Pat Travers’ blues rocking “Boom Boom (Out Go the Lights),” and asserting that they were, in fact, the glue for this talented ensemble. A couple of originals- the only ones of the night- “In My Soul” and “Tooth and Nail” followed, from their Blood Brothers album, which is apparently the music that first drew Murray to the pair of talented guitarists and vocalists (who both also maintain respective solo careers). After those first few songs really showcased the immense musical chops of the band, with Murray hanging in the back and playing conga drums and various percussion, the esteemed actor finally stepped front and center to take lead vocals for a cover of The Kinks’ “Tired of Waiting for You.” Has Bill Murray been hiding a secret powerhouse vocal prowess all these years? Certainly not, but what he lacks in raw talent he makes up for in enthusiasm and charisma, and he did an admirable job of what basically amounts to karaoke with some immensely talented backup, adeptly picking songs that worked well within his range, and opting not to hog the mic for the entire show. I’m also not here to judge this like a singing competition- this was the man, the myth, the legend, Bill Murray, live and in the flesh, and playing classic rock covers at the Mother Church, and that alone is a damn cool experience.
Beyond the core duo of guitarists Mike Zito and Albert Castiglia, I was surprised and elated to discover that Conan O’Brien’s former bandleader Jimmy Vivino was part of the ensemble on guitar and organ, and really added some fantastic flair, along with dummers Matt Johnson and Ray Hangen, pianist and organist Lewis Stephens, bassist Scot Sutherland, and saxophonist Jimmy Carpenter, joined also, on some songs, by openers Dan Tyminski and Phillip Lammonds. The band showcased their blues bona fides with cuts “Get Down to the Nitty Gritty,” originally by Luther “Snake Boy” Johnson, but also covered by Castiglia on one of his solo albums, giving Vivino a chance to flex his guitar chops into St. Louis Jimmy Oden’s “Goin’ Down Slow” (perhaps best known for its cover by Howlin’ Wolf), with Murray returning to vocals for Mel McDaniel’s Russell Smith-penned country classic “Big Ole Brew,” which Bill introduced with giving nod to the history of The Ryman. Speaking off and on throughout the night, Murray was unsurprisingly jovial, praising the talent of his bandmates, telling stories and quips, and making jokes (like stressing how they wanted to honor the history of the venue’s country roots, before launching into one of their least country covers of the evening).
Though the blues stuff definitely seemed the most natural fit for this band, and showed off the breadth of their talent, the back half of the set’s pivot to more classic rock and pop was more my speed, beginning with a ripping cover of Tommy Tutone’s “867-5309 (Jenny),” which worked as one of Bill’s best vocal performances of the evening (and probably brought about the loudest singalongs from the audience). After tackling a somewhat rearranged version of Prince’s “Little Red Corvette,” with the Blood Brothers on lead, Murray hopped on the mic again for “Money Changes Everything,” originally by The Brains but best known by Cyndi Lauper; a song I didn’t expect to hear, but which worked surprisingly great in this musical configuration. Bill retuned to percussion to give the band a few last impressive showcases, taking on Jr. Walker & The All Stars’ soul classic “Shotgun” and Derek and the Dominos’ “Tell the Truth,” giving space to lots of solos, jammy interludes, and a whole lot of rock and blues and soul authenticity.
Before the last two songs, Murray announced that a special guest he’d hinted at earlier in the evening had just arrived, bringing legendary blues guitarist (and Nashville native) Keb’ Mo’ to the stage, launching into one what’s become one of this band’s signature covers: Bob Dylan’s “Like a Rolling Stone,” with Bill and Keb’ Mo’ trading off vocal leads, and Murray looking absolutely ecstatic to be rocking out with the renowned guitarist. After band introductions and a whole lot of thank yous, with Bill proclaiming that playing at The Ryman was “the most fun anyone could have,” every guest of the night stayed or rejoined to finish out the show with Stephen Stills’ “Love the One You’re With,” with Murray on lead vocals for one last time.
Admittedly, on any given night in Nashville, you can probably find a killer band tackling similar blues and classic rock covers like this one. But they’re not at The Ryman, and they don’t have the star of Ghostbusters, Groundhog Day, and Lost in Translation among their ranks. And whether that’s a fair bias to assess this performance on is up to you, but, for my money, it elevated what would already be a really impressive, fun show into something truly unique and deeply memorable- a chance to see Bill Murray doing what he loves the most: living free and having fun.
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All photos by Mary-Beth Blankenship
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Setlist:
“Boom Boom (Out Go the Lights)” (Pat Travers)
“In My Soul” (Blood Brothers)
“Tooth and Nail” (Blood Brothers)
“Tired of Waiting for You” (The Kinks)
“Get Down to the Nitty Gritty” (Luther “Snake Boy” Johnson)
“Goin’ Down Slow” (St. Louis Jimmy Oden, popularized by Howlin’ Wolf)
“Big Ole Brew” (Mel McDaniel)
“867-5309 (Jenny)” (Tommy Tutone)
“Little Red Corvette” (Prince)
“Money Changes Everything” (The Brains, popularized by Cyndi Lauper)
“Shotgun” (Jr. Walker & The All Stars)
“Tell the Truth” (Derek and the Dominos)
“Like a Rolling Stone” (Bob Dylan)
“Love the One You’re With” (Stephen Stills)