Bill Murray Brings Music To The Indiana State Fair
Actor, comedian, and musician Bill Murray made a stop at the Indiana State Fair recently with his band, Bill Murray and his Blood Brothers, to bring a free concert to attendees.
Bill Murray and His Blood Brothers performed in Indianapolis on August 8. Photo courtesy Indiana State Fair
WHEN I HEARD Bill Murray and His Blood Brothers were playing at the Indiana State Fair on August 8, I thought, Bill Murray in A BAND? followed by, Call Sister Nancy!
Her response was swift. “Would love to see Billy! I’ll head down tomorrow,” she said.
Sister Nancy, 77, is a Dominican nun in Adrian, Michigan, with close ties to the comedian, actor, and musician. Billy, as she calls him, is her brother.
My connection? Sister Nancy Murray taught at Regina Dominican, the Catholic high school I attended in Wilmette, Illinois—the Chicago suburb where the Murrays grew up. I’ll never forget the day she told our class, “Hey, my brother’s going to be on this show Saturday night. … If you’re around, check it out.”
Murray performed with Saturday Night Live for three years before transitioning to the big screen and ultimately starring in numerous films such as Caddyshack, Ghostbusters, GroundhogDay, and so on—sometimes alongside his brothers Brian, John, and Joel.
Though Nancy shared stories over the years, I’d never met her famous brother until we were introduced backstage before the concert. It was his first state fair ever and he’d already had a pretty good taste of things.
“Let’s see,” he began in his deadpan manner. “We had a funnel cake with bacon and maple syrup, a burger with a Krispy Kreme doughnut as a bun, and barbecue on top of mac and cheese. Oh, some beer that was blue and supposed to taste like cotton candy.”
Bill Murray stands with Brian Burhenn, bandmates, and friends. Photo by Mary Milz
The “we” includes his fellow band members, guitarists Mike Zito and Albert Castiglia who form the duo the Blood Brothers, and their special guest Jimmy Vivino, who is part of the current lineup of blues band Canned Heat. Zito and Castiglia met Murray last summer after they performed at the Murray brothers’ annual Caddyshack tournament in Florida, where Murray joined them on stage.
“He crashed our gig,” Castiglia says. They loved it, and so did Murray, who tagged along with them to Vegas and Charlotte, North Carolina, before teaming up officially.
“He’s a good percussionist and a good singer. He has a lot of charisma, and it shows,” Castiglia says. “When he gets fired up and starts getting crazy, rapping the tambourine, it’s fun to watch.”
For Murray, the band fulfills a childhood dream of sorts.
“When I was in high school at Loyola Academy, I had a band, The Dutch Masters,” he recalls. “We played parties, and I always thought, Maybe one day … ”
The Murray clan grew up in a modest three-bedroom home. Chores, homework, Sunday mass, and jobs to cover tuition were mandatory. Besides his music gig, he caddied at Indian Hill Club (the inspiration for Caddyshack, written by Murray’s brother Brian and frequent collaborator, Harold Ramis).
Murray plays percussion, sings backing vocals, and usually performs six solos, including an earthy rendition of Bob Dylan’s “Like A Rolling Stone.”
Castiglia says the response after Murray joined the band has been incredible, with the group adding upwards of 40 days to their schedule this year. Indiana State Fair officials estimate 3,500 attended the free concert.
Brian Burhenn and his wife Jennifer were among them. A huge fan, Burhenn says he’s seen almost every Murray movie, including Meatballs 50-plus times.
“I thought one day I’ll meet him.” And he did. A retired Indianapolis firefighter, Burhenn was diagnosed with ALS three years ago and now relies on an electric wheelchair. A friend arranged a backstage visit with Murray prior to the concert, where Burhenn and his wife spent 15 to 20 minutes with him.
“He would fit in well at the firehouse,” Brian says. “He was really down-to-earth … quick-witted and very funny but also very present and interested in what I was saying.”
Murray was also tuned in to the crowd during the concert. During the band’s final bows, he caught a Caitlin Clark Indiana Fever jersey thrown his way and put it on, prompting the concertgoers to erupt in cheers.
But he wasn’t quite ready to leave the fairgrounds as Sister Nancy and I joined him on a tour of the cow and pig barns, where he told the runt of a litter, “Get in there, little guy. Get your food!”
It was after 11 on Friday night when Murray finally hopped on the tour bus with his crew and fellow band members en route to their next gig in Yellows Springs, Ohio.
Castiglia has to laugh, “Never thought we’d wind up on the road with Bill. He’s always on the go—has the energy of a 20-year-old.”
