Murder By Death’s Farewell Tour stopped off at The Van Buren in Phoenix, AZ on November 1, 2025, and it felt less like a concert and more like an Irish wake for a beloved one. In this case, the was was in honor of one of indie rock’s most enduring bands. The room, packed to the rafters for the largest Arizona show of their career, buzzed with the anticipation and comradery built on 25 years of loyalty between artist and audience. As the band took to the stage, the uproar from the crowd was equal parts celebration and gratitude. Everyone present understood the gravity of the moment; everyone was looking forward to seeing them take the stage, and everyone knew it would be the last time they would see it happen.
The setlist was an absolute gift to longtime and die-hard fans, affectionately dubbed “The Whiskey Crew” for, well, their penchant for drinking copious amounts of whiskey. Adam Turla and crew pulled at least two songs from every album to play, in addition to a few extras and deep cuts. Opening with one of their most recent hits, “Riders”, they followed it immediately with two of their oldest fan favorites, “Until Morale Improves, the Beatings Will Continue” and “Flamenco’s Fuckin’ Easy”. This 1-2-3 punch let the crowd know early that the set would be a raucous mix of memory and mayhem, a visceral love note to the group’s evolution over two and a half decades. As always, their chemistry was tight yet relaxed; after years playing together, everyone had their groove and comfortably riff off one another.
“Lost River,” “King of the Gutters, Prince of the Dogs,” and “Ghost Fields” showcased their gift for weaving grit, melody, and memory, each song landing with a new level of resonance that only a farewell tour can levy. “Ash” simmered in the room like collective memories being unearthed. The mid-set jolt of the Whiskey Crew favorite “Pizza Party!”, sandwiched between “Sorry” and “I Shot an Arrow,” brought back the band’s wry humor and lightened the mood, a reminder their music contains multitudes, as much mischief and fun as it does melancholy and foreboding. Prior to the show, we ran into Adam and Sarah at the pizza parlor across the street from the venue; pizza parties certainly are not just for singing about!
Before they played “Lose You,” off this year’s Egg & Dart, Adam paused to shout out one of their first Arizona gigs at the now-defunct Modified Arts, a glorified closet of a punk venue/art space, drawing a roar of applause and nostalgia from those who remembered. Old photographs of all band members were projected behind them; the visual contrast between then and now gave true emotional weight to the moment. It was one of the only times the whole night that the crowd was completely calm, lost in the music and the photos and the guitar laden memories of concerts long past.
Signaling the evening was coming to an end, Murder By Death rounded out the end of their set with “Comin’ Home” and “Last Night on Earth,” each carrying a heavy sense of finality as everyone’s voices across the venue blended together into one bittersweet chorus. When they closed the main set with “I Came Around,” the audience erupted with both joy and mourning. The venue truly became the Irish wake at the center of this song: whiskey was swigged, arms were slung around nearby friends and strangers alike, and tears flowed as lyrics were sung. As the band stepped off stage, the reverb hung heavily in the air as everyone waited anxiously for them to come back.
For the encore, Adam stepped out on stage first, and started “Shiola” alone with an acoustic guitar under dim amber lighting; everyone else slowly made their way back on stage in the dark, settling into their spots and joining in one by one. Once everyone was together again, they launched into their final number for the night which left no eyes dry in the venue: “Alas I Must Go” off The Other Shore. It truly was the only song Murder By Death could possibly have ended the night with, a pure, perfect distillation of a quarter century of their music: profound, heartfelt, and at times, devastatingly beautiful.
Full set list after the photo break.
Setlist:
