Rufus Wainwright changes O Canada lyrics for Game 5 of World Series
CBC
Rufus Wainwright gave O Canada a subtle twist before Game 5 of the World Series on Wednesday night at Dodger Stadium.
The Montreal-raised singer sang “that only us command” instead of the lyric “in all of us command,” delivering the anthem in both English and French ahead of the matchup between the Toronto Blue Jays and Los Angeles Dodgers.
The lyric change echoed fellow Canadian Chantal Kreviazuk’s protest performance at the 4 Nations Face-Off hockey final in Boston on Feb. 20. She made the same tweak as a rebuke to Donald Trump’s “51st state” comments about Canada.
Wainwright's adjustment isn't the only anthem lyric change at the World Series this week: on Oct. 27, for Game 3, Grammy-nominated singer JP Saxe sang the line “our home on native land" instead of “our home and native land." It's the same change that R&B singer Jully Black made for the NBA All-Star game in Salt Lake City in 2023.
For Game 4, the night before Wainwright's performance, Toronto-born singer-songwriter Deborah Cox sang O Canada ahead of the first pitch.
The best-of-seven series was tied 2-2 going into Game 5, with the Blue Jays eventually beating the Dodgers 6-1 by the end of the night.
Game 6 is scheduled for Friday night at Rogers Centre, with Game 7 — if necessary — also set for Toronto on Saturday.
