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Bills vs Lions: Who is singing the national anthem today? Why is ‘O Canada’ being played? Know the performers
Bills vs Lions brings two national anthems before kickoff, with Barenaked Ladies and Auliʻi Cravalho leading the performances.
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The Buffalo Bills will play the Canadian national anthem before their game against the Detroit Lions on Thursday, September 17, even though the game is being held in Buffalo, New York.
Canadian rock band Barenaked Ladies will perform “O Canada” before Auliʻi Cravalho sings “The Star-Spangled Banner.” The ceremony is part of the Bills’ first regular-season game at the new Highmark Stadium.
The team is using the occasion to recognise its large Canadian fanbase, particularly supporters from Southern Ontario and Toronto, which are less than 100 miles from Buffalo.
Buffalo Bills vs Detroit Lions: Why is “O Canada” being played?
The Bills have a long connection with Canadian fans, making “O Canada” a deliberate part of the home opener. The team has been working to grow its reach across Southern Ontario, where many fans regularly travel to Buffalo for games.
Bills chief operating officer Pete Guelli said Canadian residents make up an average of 10% to 15% of the team's Season Ticket Member base. “Having a world class city and one of North America's largest less than 100 miles from Buffalo, it's significant, not only for the Bills, but for the entire National Football League,” Guelli said.
The Bills also joined the NFL’s Global Markets Program for Canada and expanded their radio network into Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa. The team has also partnered with Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment to build stronger links in the region.
Barenaked Ladies to sing Canada’s national anthem
Barenaked Ladies will perform “O Canada” before the Bills vs Lions game. The Canadian rock band was formed in Scarborough, Ontario, in 1988 and became widely known in both Canada and the United States.
The group’s best-known songs include “One Week,” “Pinch Me,” “The Old Apartment” and “If I Had $1,000,000.” It also recorded the theme song for the CBS sitcom “The Big Bang Theory.”
The band was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 2018 and has received Grammy nominations. This is not its first connection with the Bills. Barenaked Ladies previously performed “The Star-Spangled Banner” before Buffalo played the New York Jets at Toronto’s Rogers Centre in 2009.
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Auliʻi Cravalho will sing the US national anthem
Auliʻi Cravalho will follow Barenaked Ladies with “The Star-Spangled Banner.” She is best known for providing the voice of Moana in Disney’s animated film “Moana” and reprising the role in “Moana 2.”
The Bills have included both national anthems at home events before. Under former owner Ralph Wilson, the team held Canadian fan appreciation games in Orchard Park that featured both anthems.
The team also has a deeper history in Canada. From 2008 through 2013, Buffalo played six regular-season games and two preseason games at Toronto’s Rogers Centre as part of the Bills Toronto Series. The team and Rogers Communications ended the series in 2014.
