Iron Maiden, Christopher Cross Address

Iron Maiden and Christopher Cross made political comments about rising U.S.-Canada tensions during their separate concerts in Toronto over the weekend. The British heavy metal band was launching its 50th anniversary North American tour, while the American singer-songwriter was concluding his tour with Toto and the Romantics. The artists' remarks followed recent executive actions from the United States government.

Iron Maiden's Arena Remarks

At the first of two sold-out shows at Scotiabank Arena on Saturday, Iron Maiden vocalist Bruce Dickinson acknowledged the absurdity of a recent political move. He referenced Donald Trump's executive order to rename Lake Ontario as Lake America. Dickinson said the band crossed Lake Ontario and would later cross the Gulf of Mexico. He then remarked on the ridiculous state of the world before greeting the crowd. The order to rename the Great Lake was reported to have again caused issues for Google Maps. Alongside it, Trump enacted a 50 percent tariff on a variety of Canadian goods after trade negotiations collapsed.

Christopher Cross's Concert Speech

At the RBC Amphitheatre on Sunday night, Christopher Cross opened his set with his 2011 track "Dreamers." The song features a snippet of Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have A Dream" speech. Cross introduced it by connecting past and present struggles. He said the recording was from Dr. Martin Luther King speaking about civil rights, representing a very dark time in his country which is happening again.

Artists' Shared Sentiment

He then directly addressed the Canadian audience about the political situation. Cross expressed affection for Canada and embarrassment over U.S. leadership. He told the audience that Americans love and appreciate Canada, and that he was sorry and embarrassed to have an asshole for a president, but asked them not to give up on the United States. The singer-songwriter pointed to the upcoming U.S. election as a potential remedy. He ended on a note of shared economic fate and dark humor, stating they would do their best to fix it in the election, after which both countries would resume buying each other's goods. Footage of both speeches was published by the source, Stereogum. The artists' comments framed their musical performances within a context of international discord and hope for resolution.