Elizabeth Irving, whose rendition of the Star Spangled Banner was loudly booed at a recent WWE event in Toronto, says ‘the Canadian anthem right now is bringing on immense patriotism’
The crowd was loud and proud, too, accompanying her when she was handling the anthem to begin festivities at the WWE’s Elimination Chamber premium live event on Saturday at Rogers Centre in Toronto.
There is, of course, another side of this story. Renditions of the Star-Spangled Banner have been booed at Canucks games during the last month and Irving’s version of the American national anthem at the WWE event was jeered by the announced crowd of 38,493.
The response was intense enough, in fact, that it prompted WWE analyst Pat McAfee to tell the TV audience that “these are the most stacked Elimination Chambers that the WWE has ever had. It kinda sucks that it’s in the terrible country of Canada that booed our national anthem.”
Pennsylvania native McAfee, 37, asked for a truce with Canadian fans on his ESPN show this week, saying that he appreciated their passion for the country and he had the same for his. He closed with, “You booed us. I said you’re terrible. Let’s shake hands, let’s move along.”
Irving says that the booing was loud enough on Saturday that she couldn’t hear herself singing, even though she had gone with the standard practice of wearing in-ear monitors.
“But I also couldn’t hear myself singing the Canadian anthem because all the Canadians were singing so loudly,” she continued. “I believe in showing respect for all national anthems, and I truly think that singing our national anthem as loudly and proudly as we can speaks more volume than booing somebody else’s anthem.
“I think the Canadian anthem right now is bringing on immense patriotism. It’s a beautiful thing to hear it being sung that way. Times are sad and upsetting right now, but looking at it in a positive light, there’s just something about hearing the anthem right now.”
She says that when she gets a gig like the WWE or a Canuck game with an American team in town she’s there to “to sing both the U.S. and Canadian anthems, and I strongly believe that all anthems from every country deserve to be sung with respect and professionalism and that’s what I’ll continue do.”
She also understands that the booing will be coming for the American anthem for the time being.
“No one wants to experience boos during your performance,” she said. “The connotation is obviously that you’re doing a poor job. I also go into that with the understanding that this has nothing to do with me or any other anthem singers, and this is so much bigger and greater than any of us. Keeping that in the back of my mind and keeping the idea that it’s a job has really helped make it easier.”
The first Canuck game where booing of the American anthem was prevalent came Feb. 2, when the Detroit Red Wings were in town. Agasha Mutesasira handled the anthems that night, and Irving says she reached out to her ahead of the game, warning what may be coming after seeing the American anthem booed at games elsewhere in Canada earlier in the weekend. Irving and Mutesasira both travel in the same circles in Lower Mainland music scene.
“She did a fantastic job, all things considered,” Irving said. “I commend her so much.
“What makes it less daunting right now is how many people are commenting and messaging you afterwards, reminding you that what’s happening has nothing to do with you. The love we’re getting back helps make it worth it.”
“Let me tell Americans, we’re not booing you,” Trudeau added. “We’re not booing your teams. We’re not booing your players. We’re booing a policy that is designed to hurt us. We’re insulted and we’re angry. But we’re Canadian, which means we’re going to stand up for each other. We’re going to fight, and we are going to win.”