iStockphoto / Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images
The United States and Canada have once again found themselves butting heads on the international diplomacy front as Americans prepare to usher in the 2026 NFL season. The Bills have decided to go out of their way to align themselves with their neighbors to the north, as the Barenaked Ladies will be heading to Buffalo to become the first musical act to perform “O Canada” at one of their games.
The tradition of playing “The Star-Spangled Banner” at sporting events in the United States can be traced back to the 1918 World Series between the Red Sox and the Cubs.
The Navy band was in attendance at Game 1 (a contest played against the backdrop of World War I), and their rendition of the national anthem during the seventh-inning stretch led to a number of players turning their attention to the flag as the crowd belted out the lyrics.
The song has played before every NFL game since Commissioner Elmer Layden instituted that edict toward the end of World War II, and other leagues followed suit en route to establishing the pregame tradition that’s a staple of virtually every organized sporting event in America to this day.
However, that anthem will be accompanied by one you don’t usually hear at NFL games when the Bills officially christen the new Highmark Stadium.
The Bills invited the Barenaked Ladies to perform the first-ever rendition of “O Canada” at an NFL game in Buffalo
Buffalo is located directly across the Canadian border, as you can get into Ontario by crossing the Peace Bridge that connects its eastern shore to Fort Erie, Ontario over the Niagara River.
NHL teams play the American and Canadian anthem when a game features teams from both of those countries, but the Sabres go with both of them regardless of the matchup at the KeyBank Center due to the number of Canadian fans who are typically in attendance.
As is the case with all NFL teams, the Bills have historically declined to go that route as a member of a league where every single franchise is based in the United States.
However, on Wednesday, they announced they’ll be taking a new approach when they host the Lions for the first regular season game at the new Highmark Stadium, as the Canadian musical icons who are the Barenaked Ladies will become the first act to perform “O Canada” at a game in Buffalo before Auliʻi Cravalho of Moana fame belts out “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
For the first time in Highmark Stadium history, we will celebrate the American and Canadian anthems during pregame.
We can’t wait to have Bills fan Auliʻi Cravalho and @barenakedladies at our home opener! pic.twitter.com/i61I37Jgvp
— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) September 9, 2026
It’s hard to ignore the timing of the announcement, as the governments of the United States and Canada are once again feuding after both sides escalated an ongoing trade war that’s been brewing since the start of Donald Trump’s second term.
It’s also worth noting that the Bills have three players who are Canadian citizens. Wide receiver Josh Palmer and linebacker Michael Hoecht were both born in Ontario, while tight end Dalton Kincaid has an American and a Canadian passport thanks to his mother’s links to the latter.