For many either playing or attending the 2016 Bridgestone Winter Classic at Gillette Stadium, January 1 will be the best day of their lives. And now at the very least, several thousand people watching the outdoor hockey game between the Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadiens will likely hear “Best Day Of My Life” played live, ringing out in the crisp winter air of New England.
American Authors, the Berklee College of Music-born folk-rock band who had a decent-sized hit with 2014’s “Best Day Of My Life,” will perform life at the Winter Classic on New Year’s Day, joining a lineup that also features Boston Calling alum Nate Ruess of fun., The Voice Season 9 winner Jordan Smith, and members of the Boston Pops.
The announcement was made by the National Hockey’s League’s Public Relations twitter account this afternoon. According to NHL.com, American Authors and the Boston Pops will perform separately during pre-game festivities, and Ruess will perform after the 1st intermission, which is kinda-sorta like the Halftime Show for a game that features only three periods of play.
But the real shocker is the surprising choice of enlisting Smith to sing the National Anthem — in what is technically a Bruins home game — over longtime Boston/TD Garden voice Rene Rancourt. But it’s nothing new, James Taylor sung the National Anthem at the 2010 Winter Classic at Fenway Park.
UPDATE: @nateruessmusic, @aauthorsmusic, @JordanSmithLive, musicians from @TheBostonPops to perform at 2016 Bridgestone NHL #WinterClassic.
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) December 21, 2015
Here’s what we’ll be missing, with Smith doing the honors instead of Rancourt…