Fireworks, a pair of anthems and a full house: Bills break in new stadium with style

Fireworks, a pair of anthems and a full house: Bills break in new stadium with style JOHN WAWROW ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS PUBLISHED 3 HOURS AGO Open this photo in gallery: Barenaked Ladies sing the Canadian national anthem before the Buffalo Bills' first game at Highmark Stadium on Thursday night against the Detroit Lions in Orchard Park, N.Y. SUE OGROCKI/THE ASSOCIATED PRESS COMMENTS SHARE SAVE FOR LATER Listen to this article Learn more about audio Log in or create a free account to listen to this article. In opening the Buffalo Bills’ new stadium, rookie coach Joe Brady was more interested in seeing his team put on a clinic rather than a show. Turns out, Brady got to see both in a 41-31 victory over the Detroit Lions on Thursday night in the Bills’ first regular-season game at Highmark Stadium. Fireworks. Two national anthems. A packed house. And a win. “The atmosphere was incredible,” Brady said. “It was the game Buffalo deserved.” The 41 points were the third-most by a team in its regular-season stadium debut, behind only Dallas, which scored 44 in its first game at Texas Stadium in 1971, and Miami scoring 42 in its first outing at Joe Robbie Stadium in 1987. Buffalo Bills lean into their Canadian audience with Barenaked Ladies’ performance of ‘O Canada’ Josh Allen accounted for five touchdowns, including the first one, by scoring on a one-yard run six minutes in. A sell-out crowd arrived early, and about 1,000 fans still lingered long after the final horn in cheering on Allen and left tackle Dion Dawkins as they were being interviewed at the Prime TV booth along the sideline. Among those on hand was former Bills quarterback-turned-broadcaster Ryan Fitzpatrick. He opened the day by throwing passes across the international border – from one boat to another on the Niagara River – to former Bills receiver Stevie Johnson. And the Bills honoured their cross-border fanbase by having both the U.S. and Canadian anthems performed with both country’s flags displayed on the field. The Toronto musical group Barenaked Ladies was greeted by a loud cheer before singing O Canada.” They were followed by Hawaiian-born actress and singer Auli’i Cravalho performing The Star-Spangled Banner. U.S. pop group OneRepublic also performed at halftime, while set up on a platform in the stands at the north end of the field. Open this photo in gallery: A general view of the Buffalo Bills taking the field as fireworks explode prior to their game at…