TORONTO – Greg Keelor, the frontman of Blue Rodeo, found himself reflecting on what to say about Donald Trump during their Saturday show at Toronto’s RBC Amphitheatre. The band was preparing to perform their hit song “Hasn’t Hit Me Yet,” which includes the line “Out in the middle of Lake Ontario.” This lyric took on new significance following Trump’s recent executive order renaming the body of water to “Lake America.”
Keelor initially contemplated delivering a scathing critique of the U.S. president but ultimately decided against it. “I knew that the song would do the work,” he said in a Monday interview. He believed that simply reaching that poignant line in the song would elicit an enthusiastic response from the audience, and he was correct.
As the band performed, Keelor encouraged the roughly 16,000 attendees to sing “Lake Ontario” with “full authority and ownership,” with the vast body of water visible behind the venue. The crowd responded with fervor, howling the line back at him. A map of Lake Ontario, which Keelor had requested to be displayed on the screens, enhanced the moment, which has since gained international attention amid Trump's controversial name change.
Keelor was taken aback by the emotional reaction from the audience. “We were all just a little shocked at the wave of emotion that came from the audience when they got to that line,” he remarked. The lyric now carries a different meaning, reflecting a broader context tied to Trump's behavior and the rising tensions between the United States and Canada, particularly amid an escalating trade war.
In Keelor’s view, Trump’s attempt to rename the lake is not only insulting but also represents the broader ignorance and foolishness he attributes to the president. “He’s just a man-baby throwing his food off his tray when he doesn’t like it,” Keelor stated, expressing disdain for the president’s attitude. He described the attempt to change the name of one of the Great Lakes as emblematic of Trump’s idiocy and something contrary to Canadian values.
Despite his criticisms, Keelor found a sense of unity within the controversy surrounding the name change. “We’re not pushovers. We dig in,” he remarked, highlighting a collective resilience among Canadians in the face of perceived affronts.
Lake Ontario holds deep significance for Keelor, who composed the song after wandering around Port Hope, Ontario. He described the experience as “a mystical experience of sharing the oneness of all things.” The lake predates modern national boundaries and embodies a powerful natural force in the region, representing more than just a name on a map.
Keelor pointed out that the lake holds historical importance for Indigenous people, who had established a connection with it long before the establishment of countries and borders. He expressed dismay that “the American people would have put [Trump] in power,” dubbing it a “very depressing thing” for those who value the shared heritage of the Great Lakes.
Blue Rodeo has reduced its touring activities in the U.S., with Keelor noting, “Nobody has any appetite to go down there and play.” Meanwhile, Google Maps has started displaying “Lake America” for users in the U.S., while Canadian users still see Lake Ontario, and international users see both names. Keelor expressed concern about the implication of this corporate complicity, emphasizing the importance of maps and the meanings they convey.
While Blue Rodeo is not scheduled to tour again until October, Keelor is open to the idea of smaller, spontaneous performances, perhaps as a way to channel the current political atmosphere into their music. “Maybe some smaller guerrilla sort of stuff,” he mused. With their song now serving as an unexpected rallying cry against perceived injustices, Keelor and his bandmates are embracing this role during a politically charged moment in Canada.
