Bill Murray & His Blood Brothers Brought the Blues and the Magic to Fort Lauderdale
- Joanie Cox Henry
- 7 hours ago
- 3 min read
Updated: 7 hours ago
By Joanie Cox Henry
Nobody does what Bill Murray does. Not in film, not in the cultural imagination, and as a packed Au-Rene Theater at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts discovered Saturday night, not on stage either. Bill Murray & His Blood Brothers rolled into Fort Lauderdale for a night that no one in that crowd was going to forget. He brought his cowbell and he gave us more of it, which we were all thankful for. Even Christopher Walken knows the importance of more cowbell!
Before the headliners took the stage, Gainesville-based blues rockers Big Sky warmed the room with the kind of muscular, road-tested playing that reminded the crowd this was, first and foremost, a serious music event. They delivered. The audience was primed.
Then came the insane levels of talent. The joy. The Bill Murray of it all.
From the opening notes of The Youngbloods' "Get Together," a song that felt almost cosmically right as a mission statement, it was clear this was going to be an uplifting show. Murray, all charm and loose-limbed charisma, threw himself into the night with the abandon of a man who has absolutely nothing to prove and therefore everything to give.
The musical muscle behind him was solid as a rockstar. Mike Zito, the Gulf Coast Records stalwart and Texas blues titan, was a gem on guitar, precise and powerful and clearly having the time of his life. Beside him, Albert Castiglia, a Miami-raised, South Florida-bred guitarist who has spent decades earning his place among the elite of the blues world, was nothing short of fantastic. Castiglia's playing has always carried an emotional authority that separates the great ones from the merely good, and on this night, on his home turf, he played like a man settling a score with the universe. The crowd felt every note. An army of Castiglia's loyal following of fans marched through Broward Center proudly donning their "Albert Castiglia: It's Ka-STEEL-Ya Dammit" t-shirts. It was truly awesome seeing his family and amazing wife out in the crowd too. This show was absolutely a thrilling moment for the South Florida performer who later shared a post on his Instagram revealing "It was great to be home! I don't think I'll ever forget it. Thank you South Florida!"
Jimmy Vivino, whose years as musical director for the Conan O'Brien show made him one of the most versatile guitar slingers in the business, added another dimension entirely, equal parts showman and craftsman. Lewis Stephens on keys laid a velvet foundation beneath every song, and Ray Hangen and Matthew R. Johnson on drums drove the whole locomotive with metronomic authority and genuine swing.
The setlist was an act of curatorial genius. A Huey Lewis cover, "The Power of Love," sat comfortably next to a Luther Allison deep cut, "Drowning at the Bottom." "Werewolves of London" became a full-audience singalong. "Money Changes Everything" hit harder than it had any right to. "Like a Rolling Stone" closed the main set with all the weight it deserves. Zito delivered a stunningly beautiful rendition of "Little Red Corvette."
When the band returned for the encore, Stephen Stills' "Love the One You're With" sent everyone into the warm South Florida night feeling, genuinely, like they had been loved.
Murray is a man who clearly loves the music and brings that love (and more cowbell) into the room with a remarkable sense of wonder and pure delight. He is having the time of his life up there with his wildly talented Blood Brothers and you can feel that closeness from the other side of the stage.
Saturday night's show at the Broward Center was truly a giftt. It was also a reminder that music, at its best, is about making everyone feel like they're part of something bigger. After one night with Bill Murray and His Blood Brothers, everyone feels like family and that's a vibe that could never get Lost In Translation.
If this band is coming to a city near you, definitely snag a ticket. Hurry and see Murray! You'll be glad to see him and his Blood Brothers.
Let’s not forget Jimmy Carpenter, sax player recording artist and musical director for The Big Blues Bender in Las Vegas!