Barenaked Ladies’ ‘O Canada’ rendition at Buffalo Bills home opener draws mixed responses - Toronto Star
The cross-border gesture came amid an escalating trade dispute between Canada and the U.S. but didn't seem to land well for some online.
The Barenaked Ladies perform the Canadian national anthem before an NFL football game between the Detroit Lions and Buffalo Bills in Orchard Park, N.Y. on Thursday.
The Canadian national anthem was met with loud cheers in the stadium, but more mixed reaction online on Thursday evening after Scarborough-born rock group Barenaked Ladies performed “O Canada” at the Buffalo Bills’ season home opener.
The group sang a line in French, recognizing Canada’s second official language, as a large Canadian flag was displayed on the field.
The cross-border gesture came amid an escalating trade dispute between Canada and the U.S. but didn’t seem to land well for some online.
The Barenaked Ladies sing O Canada at Highmark Stadium 🍁 pic.twitter.com/kFSnLFHmg9
“Shoutout to the bills for playing o Canada but please god take the microphones away from the Barenaked Ladies,” one user wrote to X.
“I love Canada and the Barenaked Ladies but that sounded awful,” another wrote.
The western New York team announced on social media last Wednesday that “O Canada” would be performed alongside the “The Star Spangled Banner” ahead of its first-ever regular season home opener at the team’s new NFL stadium, Highmark Stadium, against the Detroit Lions.
The Star’s Brayden Holmyard checks in ahead of a Buffalo Bills game against the Detroit Lions at the new Highmark Stadium. With up to 20 per cent of Buffalo Bills season ticket holders being Canadian, the team brought in the Barenaked Ladies to sing the Canadian national anthem.
The U.S. anthem was sung by American singer and actress Auliʻi Cravalho.
Canadian residents account for 10 to 15 per cent of the Bills’ season ticket base, Buffalo Bills chief operating officer Pete Guelli said in a statement last year.
On Wednesday, the team posted a video to X, showing retired Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick and retired wide receiver Stevie Johnson completing a series of cross-border football passes on the Niagara River. The former players tossed the ball to each other on separate ferries, with Fitzpatrick on the U.S. side of the river and Johnson on the Canadian side.
Niagara Falls was also illuminated red, white and blue — the Bills’ colours — at 8 p.m. Thursday in honour of “Western New York and southern Ontario’s home team and the passionate fans who support them on both sides of the border,” Niagara Parks wrote.
The cross-border camaraderie came amid growing tensions in an ongoing trade war between Canada and the U.S.
After trade talks fell apart last month, the Trump administration imposed 50 per cent tariffs on an array of Canadian products, from hockey sticks to honey.
JUST LIKE THAT!! A cross-border completion from @FitzMagic_14 ➡️ @StevieJohnson13 pic.twitter.com/nUQPSydhks
Ottawa’s retaliatory tariffs on specific American goods went into place Sept. 8. That same day, Trump signed executive orders to completely bar imports of certain Canadian goods, including motorcycles, some dairy products and alcoholic beverages, later this month.
The Buffalo Sabres, the city’s NHL team, are the only team in the NHL to play both the Canadian and American national anthem regardless of whether their opponents are Canadian.
In April, Sabres’ fans sang “O Canada” at KeyBank Center in Buffalo when the singer’s microphone malfunctioned in a game against the Boston Bruins.
Both the Sabres and Bills count on a large amount of support from fans in southern Ontario — the Niagara region specifically — due to the city’s proximity to the border. The Bills also used to host the “Toronto Series” from 2008 to 2013 where they would play one home game a season at Rogers Centre.
The Bills finished last season with a 12-5 record.
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Adshayah Sathiaseelan is a staff reporter with the Toronto Star. She can be reached at asathiaseelan@thestar.ca.
