Rufus Wainwright sings the Canadian national anthem ahead of first inning Game 5 World Series playoff MLB baseball action between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Los Angeles Dodgers in Los Angeles on Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn

By The Canadian Press

Rufus Wainwright puts twist on Canadian anthem ahead of Game 5 of World Series

Oct 29, 2025 | 5:29 PM

LOS ANGELES — Rufus Wainwright gave O Canada a subtle twist before Game 5 of the World Series on Wednesday night at Dodger Stadium.

The Montreal-raised singer sang “that only us command” instead of the real lyric “in all of us command,” delivering the anthem in both English and French ahead of the matchup between the Toronto Blue Jays and Los Angeles Dodgers.

The lyric change echoed fellow Canadian Chantal Kreviazuk’s protest performance at the 4 Nations Face-Off hockey final in Boston on Feb. 20.

She made the same tweak as a rebuke to Donald Trump’s “51st state” comments about Canada.

The best-of-seven series was tied 2-2 going into Game 5, with Toronto coming off a 6-2 win on Tuesday.

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Game 6 is scheduled for Friday night at Rogers Centre, with Game 7 — if necessary — also set for Toronto on Saturday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 29, 2025.

The Canadian Press