TORONTO, ON – Bills Toronto Series organizers today announced that one of Canada's most beloved bands, Barenaked Ladies, will perform the US National Anthem live at Rogers Centre when the Buffalo Bills take on the New York Jets on Thursday, December 3, 2009.
"We're thrilled to be hosting the NFL in our hometown, it'll be an honour to sing the anthem," said Ed Robertson, lead vocalist and guitarist from Barenaked Ladies.
Earlier this month the Bills Toronto Series launched a Canadian National Anthem Contest encouraging Ontarians of all ages to stretch their vocal cords and demonstrate they have what it takes to win the once in a life time opportunity to sing O Canada live at Rogers Centre when the Buffalo Bills take on the New York Jets in prime time on Thursday, December 3, 2009.
On November 24, 2009, Laura Cavacece was voted the Bills Toronto Series Canadian National Anthem Contest winner on City TV's Breakfast Television. In addition to performing the Canadian National Anthem, she will also receive four VIP tickets to the game.
In addition to live renditions of the Canadian and American national anthems, fans in attendance at Rogers Centre will experience performances by three nationally-recognized high school bands from the United States. Hudson High School (Hudson, OH) will perform pregame. Milford Mill Academy (Baltimore, MD) will perform at halftime. Attica High School (Attica, NY) will provide musical selections throughout the game in the stands.
Prior to the game, all fans are welcome to attend the Budweiser Official Buffalo Bills Tailgate party. The party will be located on Bremner Road at the Intersection of Lower Simcoe St from 3pm – 8pm. Fans will be treated to live entertainment, special celebrity guest appearances by Buffalo Bills alumni and interactive games courtesy of Budweiser, a proud sponsor of the Bills Toronto Series.
Barenaked Ladies (BNL) are one of Canada's most-beloved and recognizable rock groups, consisting of Ed Robertson (vocals, guitar), Tyler Stewart (drums, backing vocals), Jim Creeggan (bass, stringed instruments, vocals) and Kevin Hearn (keyboards, guitar, vocals). BNL's debut album and first major-label release Gordon, released in Canada in 1992, was certified Diamond (1,000,000 units) in Canada and featured some of the band's signature tracks, including the classics: "If I Had $1,000,000," "Be My Yoko Ono," "Grade 9," and "Brian Wilson". Grammy-nominated and winners of six Juno Awards, BNL have racked up a string of memorable hits like "Pinch Me", "The Old Apartment", "Too Little Too Late", "Falling For The First Time" and "One Week", which hit Number One on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Look for the latest album from Barenaked Ladies in Spring 2010.
The Bills Toronto Series includes a regular season game each year (2008-2012) and preseason games in 2008, 2010 and 2012. Ticket information is available at www.billsintoronto.com
The Bills Toronto Series is a proud and enthusiastic supporter of amateur football across Ontario. On November 25, 2009, the Bills Toronto Series will host the second annual series of five provincial high school football championship games – called the OFSAA Bills Toronto Series Football Bowls,at Rogers Centre in Toronto.
