Bills to honor their northern fans by having ‘O Canada’ also performed at home opener against Lions

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — The Buffalo Bills are honoring their northern fans by featuring the Canadian national anthem at their upcoming home opener against the Detroit Lions, amid escalating tensions between the U.S. and Canada. The musical act Barenaked Ladies will perform "O Canada" prior to the game on September 17, while Hawaiian-born singer Auli’i Cravalho will sing the "Star-Spangled Banner."

This marks the first regular-season game to include both anthems at the Bills' newly constructed $2.1 billion Highmark Stadium. The team aims to expand its fanbase in southern Ontario and Toronto, a two-hour drive from Buffalo. This isn't the first time the Bills have incorporated both anthems into their games; they previously hosted an annual Canadian fan appreciation event near Canadian Thanksgiving, which was discontinued around two decades ago.

Before a six-year span of annual regular-season games in Toronto from 2013 to 2019, the Bills held both anthems before each game, a tradition currently followed by the NHL's Buffalo Sabres. The Buffalo Bills and Sabres, both owned by Terry Pegula, share this practice.