Comic actor and former St. Paul Saints co-owner Bill Murray will team up with blues band the Blood Brothers for “a night of music, laughter and classic rock” on April 10 at the Orpheum Theatre in downtown Minneapolis.
Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday through Ticketmaster.
Murray, 74, rose to fame on “Saturday Night Live” in the late ’70s and went on to star in dozens of films, both comedies (“Caddyshack,” “Scrooged,” “Ghostbusters”) and more dramatic fare (“The Monuments Men,” “City of Amber,” “Hyde Park on Hudson”).
He is also known for his longtime collaboration with director Wes Anderson, appearing in nine of his films including “The Royal Tenenbaums,” “The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou” and “The Grand Budapest Hotel.” Murray earned a best actor Oscar nomination for his role in Sofia Coppola’s “Lost in Translation.”
All the while, Murray has sang on screen, often poorly, from his ode to “Star Wars” on “SNL” to his karaoke performance of Roxy Music’s “More Than This” in the aforementioned “Lost in Translation.” He’s also well known for singing at golf tournaments and birthday parties.
Indeed, Murray met the Blood Brothers — Mike Zito and Albert Castiglia — through the pair’s friendship with Murray’s brother John. John told Bill about the band, which prompted the Murrays to invite the Blood Brothers to perform at their annual Caddyshack Golf Tournament. Murray ended up singing five songs with the band. They hit it off and joined forces for a tour that began in January.
In a review of opening night, a critic for the Chicago Tribune wrote that Murray only sang lead on a handful of songs, including Bob Dylan’s “Like a Rolling Stone” (but not Prince’s “Little Red Corvette”): “It was no joke. It was a blues-rock band plus Murray stepping forward occasionally to croon. It was a reminder that there are few things in life as satisfying as Bill Murray singing, even if the man is no singer. Indeed, that he doesn’t have a singing voice was always beside the point.
“You laugh, not because that famous warble is all drama and no control. You laugh because it’s so personal. Bill Murray singing is the sound you make alone in your car.”
Murray has participated numerous times in Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Guitar Festival, both as a vocalist and emcee. He released the album “New Worlds” — featuring singing and literary recitations with classical musicians — in 2017. In 2022, he recited poetry and sang with cellist Jan Vogler for the documentary/musical “New Worlds: The Cradle of Civilization.”
In 1992, Murray joined Marvin Goldklang and Mike Veeck to found the St. Paul Saints baseball team. Murray handed out programs on opening night and wore a Saints hat for his cameo in the 1998 film “Space Jam.” In 2023, the trio sold the team to Diamond Baseball Holdings, which owns 13 other minor league baseball teams.
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