The Tenors have performed at other major sporting events including the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.
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For fans inside the stadium, the change might have flown right past their heads if not for the giant screen displaying Pereira’s makeshift placard, reading “United We Stand” on the back and “All Lives Matter” on the front.
Operatic pop-vocal quintet The Tenors delivered an a cappella version of “Oh, Canada” to open the game, which sounded gorgeous until member Remigio Pereira chose to give a modern-day makeover to the original lyrics penned in 1880.
Tensions are high in the United States after protests over police shootings of black men in Louisiana and Minnesota, and a sniper attack on Dallas police, which claimed the lives of five police officers, by a black former US soldier who said he wanted to “kill white people”.
One singer, Remigio Pereira, held up a makeshift sign that said, “All Lives Matter”, as he tinkered with the wording of “O Canada”.
Black Lives Matter Toronto co-founder Sandy Hudson says she was dumbfounded when she heard the O Canada lyrics were changed to include the phrase “all lives matter” by a member of the Canadian musical group The Tenors during the Major League Baseball all-star game in San Diego Tuesday night.
The singing group The Tenors, apologized on Twitter after the performance, calling it “a disrespectful and misguided lack of judgement by one member of the group acting as a ‘lone wolf'”.
He said that was his “singular motivation” when he said all lives matter.
Defending his actions on Twitter in the face of social media outrage in Canada – our anthem wasn’t included in US coverage of the All-Star game – Pereira pleaded a higher objective.
In a statement posted to Twitter, the group said Pereira has been suspended until further notice. “But I do feel sorry for the rest of the Tenors”. Clearly Pereira wasn’t acting with the support of his group-but his intent was never meant to create violent reaction, blacken the black movement or undermine anyone’s right to live.
The group blamed member Remigio Pereira for altering the lyrics.
In addition to Pereira, the Tenors also consists Clifton Murray, Fraser Walters and Victor Micallef.
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Those global performances include gigs at the 2010 Winter Olympics opening ceremonies, the 2012 Queen’s Jubilee in England and the 2014 Stanley Cup Final.
