Fans at World Series slam Rufus Wainwright’s botched rendition of national anthem as ‘great faking’
Rufus Wainwright became the latest singer to fluff his lines during the national anthem at the World Series, with fans left fuming at the ’embarrassing’ performance
Rufus Wainwright was roasted online for his O Canada rendition (Image: FOX Sports)
Canada can’t seem to catch a break at the World Series before the first pitch, leaving fans to respond to not just one but two versions of their national anthem deemed unrepresentative, even by native Grammy-nominated artists.
As the Dodgers and Blue Jays took the field for Game 5, with the series tied 2-2, Canadian fans online agreed that their national anthem performances have now fallen short twice in the World Series so far. The latest perpetrator was three-time Grammy-nominated singer Rufus Wainwright.
Sporting a navy blazer and jeans, Wainwright took center stage to perform “O Canada,” but left audiences cringing within seconds. His performance fell flat both musically and lyrically, and not just in one language.
READ MORE: Blue Jays’ Trey Yesavage’s World Series Game Five masterpiece breaks incredible 76-year recordREAD MORE: Blue Jays’ Shane Bieber’s wife makes savage admission about their first date
While the Canadian anthems have influenced social impressions, they haven’t been reflected in the declining ratings.
Trey Yesavage struck out 12 Dodgers in Game 5(Image: Getty)
The Montreal-raised artist fumbled through portions of both the English and French verses, appearing to lose his place in the music. It didn’t take long for the internet to address the blunder after a similar instance during Game 3, reports the Mirror US.
One fan wrote, “Why do they always have to screw up our anthem?” Another added, “Flag on the play. Rufus Wainwright does not know the French words to O Canada. Great faking though. True profesh.”
The comments continued regarding Wainwright’s lack of proper wording in both English and French. This represented the second national anthem debacle for the series following Game 3 performer JP Saxe’s viral moment when he changed the traditional lyrics “Our home and native land” to “Our home on native land.”
The alteration that seemed to recognize Indigenous peoples sparked fury across social media, with numerous Canadians slamming it as “disrespectful” to the original anthem and “embarrassingly” delivered vocally.
Two contests later, the nation’s musical luck hasn’t appeared to improve.
Wainwright has dropped 11 studio records, with his biggest commercial hit, “Release the Stars,” climbing to No. 23 on the Billboard 200 in 2007.
For all the latest news straight to your inbox, sign up for our FREE newsletters here.
That same year saw Geffen Records drop critically lauded albums, including Common’s Finding Forever and Lifehouse’s Who We Are.
His newest work, Folkocracy (2023), earned critical praise but didn’t make waves on international charts. Rather than highlighting that impressive catalog, casual baseball fans were left stunned that such experienced artists could falter consecutively in front of such a massive audience.
Game 6, potentially the series-clinching matchup, is slated for Halloween at Rogers Centre in Toronto. Yoshinobu Yamamoto is expected to take the mound for the Dodgers, while Kevin Gausman is set to start for the Blue Jays.
Yamamoto shares the postseason lead with teammate Blake Snell and Cubs reliever Daniel Palencia, each holding three victories.
For the latest local news and features on Irish America, visit our homepage here.
