TORONTO — Don Cherry is adding his voice to the growing list of those offended by The Tenors' controversial rendition of "O Canada," saying the altered and politically charged lyrics embarrassed Canadians.
The "Hockey Night in Canada" personality took to his Twitter account Wednesday to post a scathing critique of the Canadian group's on-field performance before Tuesday night's Major League Baseball all-star game at San Diego's Petco Park.
A line in the anthem was changed to "We're all brothers and sisters, all lives matter to the great." The normal lyric is "With glowing hearts we see thee rise, the True North strong and free."
Cherry was offended by the change, but the targets of his ire in his Twitter rant were perhaps misplaced.
"Oh well, all the left wing weirdos in this country are happy," Cherry said, although the "All Lives Matter" campaign is generally embraced by conservative Americans and not associated with left-of-centre politics.
Cherry has taken aim at left-leaning Canadians before, famously uttering "put that in your pipe you left-wing kooks" at the inauguration of former Toronto Mayor Rob Ford.
As for The Tenors, Cherry let the Canadian group off easy, except for American-born member Remigio Pereira. The Boston native who grew up in Gatineau, Que., is the one who sang the controversial lyrics while holding a sign reading "All Lives Matter." The words "United We Stand" were written on the back of the sign.
"I do feel sorry for the rest of the Tenors," he said. "They will be noted forever as 'oh yeah, the Tenors, they're the jerks that embarrassed us at the all-star game. Ah, they're good singers but what a bunch of jerks.'
"It's sad, it was only one, and it was done by an American."
The Tenors issued an apology after the performance, saying Pereira acted as a "lone wolf" and will not be performing with the group "until further notice."
The term "All Lives Matter" was born in controversy into the American political vocabulary last year as a response to the "Black Lives Matter" movement in the heat of a debate over police shootings in the U.S. Presidential candidate Martin O'Malley uttered the phrase at a Democratic party forum. He was booed and later apologized, an action criticized by some including Republican nominee Donald Trump.
THE TENORS APOLOGIZE FOR CHANGE ANTHEM LYRICS; BLAME 'LONE WOLF' MEMBER
SAN DIEGO — Members of The Tenors quickly distanced themselves from a rogue Tenor on Tuesday night after a member of the classical-pop group inserted a political statement into the lyrics of O Canada before the Major League Baseball all-star game in San Diego.
During their on-field performance at Petco Park, a line in the anthem was changed to "We're all brothers and sisters, all lives matter to the great." The normal lyric is "With glowing hearts we see thee rise, the True North strong and free."
On Facebook, members of the British Columbia-based quartet blamed the alteration on Remigio Pereira, saying he acted as a "lone wolf" who changed the anthem to "serve his own political views."
Their statement said they are "deeply sorry" and "shocked and embarrassed" over what they term the "disrespectful and misguided lack of judgment by one member of the group."
"The actions of one member of this group were extremely selfish and he will not be performing with The Tenors until further notice," said the statement.
"Our sincere apologies and regrets go out to everybody who witnessed this shameful act, to our fellow Canadians, to Major League Baseball, to our friends, families, fans and to all those affected."
Pereira — who sang the altered lyric alone and drew a sideways glance from the Tenor to his left — also held up a sign during the performance saying "All Lives Matter." The words "United We Stand" were written on the back of the sign.
"I've been so moved lately by the tragic loss of life and I hoped for a positive statement that would bring us all together," Pereira later explained on Twitter.
"That was my singular motivation when I said all lives matter."
Although the audio wasn't crystal-clear at the park, many fans reacted with surprise. The Canadian anthem wasn't shown live on U.S. television, but it aired in Canada, where the decision to change the words drew a firestorm of criticism on social media.
The Juno Award-winning group, which also includes Clifton Murray, Fraser Walters and Victor Micallef, has recorded multiple platinum albums in Canada.
Major League Baseball was also taken by surprise by the lyric change. Spokesman Matt Bourne told The Associated Press they "had no idea" Pereira intended to make a political statement.
San Diego was also home to another controversial rendition of an anthem in July 1990 when actress Roseanne Barr delivered a shrieking, crotch-grabbing version of The Star Spangled Banner.
Barr was roundly mocked and ridiculed for her performance at Jack Murphy Stadium, where the Padres played at the time, and also drew a sharp rebuke from then-president George Bush.
The term "All Lives Matter" was born in controversy into the American political vocabulary last year. In the heat of a debate over police shootings, presidential candidate Martin O'Malley uttered the phrase at a Democratic party forum. He was booed and later apologized.
Some viewed it as an innocuous statement. Conservatives ridiculed O'Malley for apologizing, and Donald Trump called him a weak, pathetic baby.
Others saw that phrase as anything but innocent — critics said it was designed to squash a nascent national conversation about police-related violence against African-Americans by switching the subject.
Tuesday's incident follows a series of "Black Lives Matter" protests prompted by two police shootings in the United States that left two black men dead and last Friday's deadly sniper attack on Dallas police officers.
FIVE THINGS ABOUT THE TENORS
TORONTO — Here are five things about The classical-pop group The Tenors, who struck a sour note with many Canadians on Tuesday when a member of the quartet altered the lyrics to O Canada before the Major League Baseball All Star game in San Diego.
— Since their formation in 2007, The Tenors have performed more than 500 concerts on five continents and made over 150 television appearances, including at the 2014 Stanley Cup finals, the Opening Ceremonies for the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics and the 2012 Emmy Awards.
— The group, formerly known as The Canadian Tenors, created its latest album "Under One Sky" over an 18-month period and it was recorded in Ontario, Los Angeles and Nashville with seven producers.
— The Tenors' third album in 2012, entitled "Lead With Your Heart," won a 2013 Juno Award for Adult Contemporary Album of the Year.
— The Tenors — Clifton Murray, Fraser Walters, Remigio Pereira and Victor Micallef — performed for Queen Elizabeth in May during her 90th birthday celebration at Windsor Castle.
— The singers plan to launch a 70-city North American tour in September
TEXT OF THE TENORS APOLOGY
Here is the text of an apology issued by The Tenors after a lyric to O Canada was changed ahead of baseball's All-Star Game on Tuesday night.
"The Tenors are deeply sorry for the disrespectful and misguided lack of judgment by one member of the group acting as a 'lone wolf' today during the singing of the Canadian national anthem at the Major League Baseball All-Star Game in San Diego.
"The other members of the group are shocked and embarrassed by the actions of Remigio Pereira, who changed the lyrics of our treasured anthem and used this coveted platform to serve his own political views.
"Our sincere apologies and regrets go out to everybody who witnessed this shameful act, to our fellow Canadians, to Major League Baseball, to our friends, families, fans and to all those affected. The actions of one member of this group were extremely selfish and he will not be performing with The Tenors until further notice."
