By Colette Custin Bevard

Indie-goth-country sextet Murder by Death delivered their 84th and 85th shows in Chicago this week, a bittersweet occasion as the band has decided to call it quits after twelve albums and twenty-five years.

‘We’re gonna get depressing for a bit,’ frontman Adam Turla said, introducing ‘Sorry’ from new album Egg & Dart, along with recent single ‘Lose You.’ The recent album feels a bit like an apology to their diehard fans who hope that they’ll take a break and regroup again in the future in some form.

It wasn’t all melancholy, though, as favorites like ‘Foxglove’ and ‘Pizza Party’ ramped up the crowd, and ‘Letter to the Editor’ (described by Turla as a song about his ‘breakup with the news media’) was a highlight as well; multi-instrumentalist David Fountain also got the rare treat of being sung ‘Happy Birthday’ by the entirety of Thalia Hall.

With each night’s setlist only sharing a few songs in common and pulling from each of the band’s studio albums, it was a great chance for fans to celebrate the band’s unique legacy.

Night one was opened by Against Me! lead singer Laura Jane Grace playing a mix of songs from her discography. Night two was opened by Grace’s and Ergs’ drummer Mike Yannich playing punky solo guitar and vocals.

7/16/25 and 7/17/25, Thalia Hall, Chicago