Rufus Wainwright is the latest singer to change the lyrics of “O Canada.”
At Wednesday’s (Oct. 29) Game 5 of the World Series between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Montreal-raised singer-songwriter performed a bilingual version of the Canadian national anthem at Dodger Stadium.
Instead of the anthem’s usual line, “true patriot love in all of us command,” Wainwright sang: “true patriot love that only us command.”
The change has been interpreted as a protest of U.S. President Donald Trump, who has made threats of annexation of Canada as the “51st state.”
It’s the same lyrical change that fellow Canadian singer Chantal Kreviazuk made during the height of tariff tension in February, while performing at the final 4 Nations Face-Off hockey game in Boston, Massachusetts.
Kreviazuk subsequently shared a now-deleted Instagram post, confirming that the lyric change was intentional and that she wrote the words on her hand to remember them.
“I truly believe that we must stand up, use our voices and try to protect ourselves,” she wrote at the time. “We should express our outrage in the face of any abuses of power. I was raised in part by music that was inspired by brave voices committed to peaceful conflict resolution.”
This isn’t the first time a Canadian artist has taken a jab at Trump’s comments. Country singer Dallas Smith is currently on a 51-date cross-country tour, an intentional nod to the 51st state comments, making intimate stops all across Canada.
Two days before Wainwright’s performance, Toronto-born, Los Angeles-based singer JP Saxe performed the Canadian national anthem at Dodger Stadium during Game 3. He swapped out the “Our home and native land” line for “Our home on native land.”
Saxe went viral on social media in August for starting an important conversation about touring as an artist, after cancelling his tour due to low ticket sales.
He followed in the footsteps of acclaimed singer-songwriter Jully Black, who made the one-word lyric change in 2023, while performing “O Canada” at the NBA All-Star Game. Black went on to be honoured by the Assembly of First Nations.
Wainwright and Saxe join the growing list of Canadian artists who have performed the national anthem at this year’s World Series, including Alessia Cara (Game 2) and Deborah Cox (Game 4).
Following yesterday’s 6-1 win, the Jays are one game away from winning the World Series, which returns to Toronto for Game 6 tomorrow night (October 31) and Game 7 (if necessary) on Saturday (Nov. 1).
Read more here. — HTS
Toronto’s Budweiser Stage to Become RBC Amphitheatre
Say hello to RBC Amphitheatre.
Live Nation Canada and RBC have announced a multi-year partnership to expand the Toronto waterfront venue — starting with the replacement of its former name, Budweiser Stage, effective immediately.
RBC Amphitheatre is set to be transformed and expanded into a year-round venue by 2030.
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The concert venue, on the site of the old Ontario Place Forum, opened in the mid-1990s under its initial name, Molson Amphitheatre, and was renamed Budweiser Stage in 2017. Its new name is a callback to its origins.
“It is a nod to the past, but it’s also forward looking,” says Wayne Zronik, president of business operations at Live Nation Canada, in an interview with Billboard Canada. “We’ve all been down there for shows. It’s been around for 30 years, and it’s one of the best in the world. It’s so amazing and so to preserve that, yet to also have it be available in this very unique year-round configuration for generations to come is very exciting for us.”
Embarking on renovations, the event space will expand its indoor and outdoor capabilities. By becoming a full-year venue, RBC Amphitheatre will include an expanded capacity in the summer and approximately 9,000 seats in the winter, featuring seated and an open-air lawn section from May to October.
Zronik says the winterization will include an “operable panel system” that will enclose the pavilion in a temperature-controlled environment starting in the fall months.
The event space is expected to close for renovations in fall 2027 and reopen in spring 2029, with full-year capabilities complete by summer 2030.
Inspired by fan feedback, the venue will feature a pedestrian bridge that improves access and eases crowd flow. Live Nation also promises upgraded amenities like expanded food and beverage options, hospitality areas and a new lookout deck with elevator access to the lawn. The city skyline views will remain central to the venue’s identity.
With the proposed changes and transformation, RBC Amphitheatre is set to significantly increase its show count, hosting over 1.5 million fans annually.
Venue upgrades will include multiple tiers of VIP experiences (as is the current trend with venues), as well as infrastructure to support modernized concert production and backstage amenities for some of the biggest artists in the world. Toronto has become one of the biggest global touring markets, which has inspired Live Nation’s expanded presence in venues, including the new Rogers Stadium that opened this summer.
“I think we have to continue to invest in cultural infrastructure so that we can accommodate these shows,” says Zronik. “The Amphitheatre is 30 years old; by the time this is done, it would have been 35. You have to revitalize these things.”
Building signage of the previous venue name will remain visible as the space transforms in the months leading up to the 2026 season, when the RBC Amphitheatre name will replace it. The venue currently has four shows announced for next year’s lineup, including Canadian rapper bbno$, American musician MGK, country star Bailey Zimmerman and Australian boy band 5 Seconds of Summer.
Read more here. — Heather Taylor-Singh, Richard Trapunski
Independent Music Industry Groups Ask for Public’s Help to Renew Canadian Music Funding
Independent music organizations are asking the public for help as the deadline looms for Canadian music funding.
A $16 million annual boost was announced in 2024 as a temporary top-up to the Canada Music Fund — which supports both FACTOR and Musicaction, two of the country’s biggest and most important music grants.
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The update promised $32 million over two years to enhance the careers of Canadian artists, while strengthening the competitiveness and stability of the Canadian music sector.
With the deadline for the funds approval looming by March 31, 2026, independent groups including the Canadian Independent Music Association (CIMA), SaskMusic, Music NL and more have requested the public’s assistance in reaching out to local MPs to ensure the funds are renewed.
If not, they warn, the investment, which impacts Canadian-owned music companies and artists, could be slashed by up to 50%.
Earlier this month, the federal government announced that the 2026 budget will be discussed on Nov. 4 — months earlier than its initial March deadline.
The news comes at a pivotal time for the Canadian music industry.
According to CIMA, contributions from private radio broadcasting to FACTOR have significantly decreased from $16 million in the early 2020s to approximately $2 million this year. In 2024, the funding body was the victim of a $9.8 million cybertheft.
Meanwhile, funds from Bill C-11 (Online Streaming Act), a part of which was intended to allot 5% of revenue from major foreign-owned digital streaming platforms, have been paused after major streamers like Spotify, Amazon and Apple took the government to court.
“Whether you are a large Canadian company, a new music start up, an established artist or fledgling musician, everyone in our sector benefits from the investments made by FACTOR and Musicaction,” shares Andrew Cash, CIMA president and CEO, in a statement.
Cash urges the public to contribute by emailing Stephen Guilbeault, Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture, François-Philippe Champagne, the Minister of Finance and Prime Minister Mark Carney.
“Now more than ever before we need to be strengthening the fabric of Canadian-made culture,” he said.
With only a week to go, the organizations are encouraging the public to speak up by emailing representatives.
Read more here. — HTS
