Canada has experienced consecutive disappointing national anthem performances at the World Series, prompting widespread criticism from fans and even Grammy-nominated musicians regarding both renditions that failed to meet expectations.
During Game 5 between the Dodgers and Blue Jays, with the series deadlocked at 2-2, Canadian supporters online expressed disappointment that their national anthem has now been inadequately performed twice during the World Series. The most recent performer was three-time Grammy-nominated vocalist Rufus Wainwright.
Wearing a navy blazer paired with jeans, Wainwright stepped forward to deliver “O Canada,” but immediately drew audience disapproval. His performance disappointed both musically and lyrically, failing in both languages.
Despite the Canadian anthem controversies affecting public perception, they haven’t impacted the dropping viewership numbers.
The Montreal-born performer struggled with sections of both the English and French lyrics, seeming to forget his position in the song. Social media quickly reacted to the error following a comparable incident in Game 3.
One supporter commented, “Why do they always have to screw up our anthem?” Another remarked, “Flag on the play. Rufus Wainwright does not know the French words to O Canada. Great faking though. True profesh.”
Additional criticism focused on Wainwright’s inaccurate delivery of the lyrics in both English and French. This marked the second national anthem controversy of the series following Game 3, when performer JP Saxe sparked debate by changing the traditional lyric “Our home and native land” to “Our home on native land.”
The alteration, which seemed to recognize Indigenous peoples, generated backlash across social media, with numerous Canadians condemning it as “disrespectful” to the original anthem and “embarrassingly” performed.
Just two games later, the nation’s musical luck appeared to continue its downward spiral.
Wainwright has put out 11 studio albums throughout his career, with his biggest commercial success being “Release the Stars,” which climbed to No. 23 on the Billboard 200 in 2007.
That same year saw Geffen Records drop critically acclaimed projects, including Common’s Finding Forever and Lifehouse’s Who We Are.
His most recent work, Folkocracy (2023), earned critical acclaim but didn’t make waves on international charts. Rather than highlighting that impressive track record, casual baseball fans found themselves stunned that two experienced performers could falter so publicly on consecutive occasions at such a prominent event.
Game 6, which could determine the series outcome, is slated for Halloween at Rogers Centre in Toronto. The Dodgers are expected to send Yoshinobu Yamamoto to the mound, while the Blue Jays plan to start Kevin Gausman.
Yamamoto currently shares the postseason lead with three wins alongside teammate Blake Snell and Cubs reliever Daniel Palencia.
