Arkells to perform at Budweiser #OneTeam Tribute at Qualifiers

NHL beer partner Budweiser Canada is teaming up with Arkells to celebrate frontline workers in a special performance where the band will debut music from their new album, "Campfire Chords."

The Budweiser #OneTeam Tribute will air at 7:30 p.m. EST Sunday on Sportsnet before the start of the Stanley Cup Qualifier series between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Columbus Blue Jackets. Interviews with frontline workers will also be featured during the Sportsnet broadcast on Sunday and the TVA broadcast in French on Saturday.

"We had this opportunity to be a part of hockey coming back and honoring frontline workers and we thought this was the perfect chance to perform together again," Arkells singer Max Kerman told NHL.com.

The concert is a part of the Budweiser One Team initiative that began in March when the company redirected $500,000 in planned spending on advertising during live sports events to COVID-19 response efforts by the Canadian Red Cross.

The funds helped the Canadian Red Cross distribute emergency supplies and provide emotional and psychosocial phone support, supply key information, train frontline personnel and support the distribution of financial assistance through government programs.

And now that the tireless efforts of frontline workers have allowed for the NHL's return, the company and band wanted to show their appreciation.

"As a longtime hockey fan and proud partner of the NHL, with the Return to Play this weekend, we're super happy hockey is back but we wouldn't have been here without the support and dedication of the frontline and essential workers," said Todd Allen, vice president of marketing for Labatt Breweries.

The concert, which was taped at the Budweiser Stage in Toronto, marked the first time the members of Arkells had seen each other since the country went into lockdown in March to help stop the spread of the coronavirus. It was the longest they'd gone without being around each other in the band's 10-year history.

When the lockdown started, Kerman didn't think it was going to last very long, so he took to his Instagram and did a live performance of a song a day, as well as several interviews with NHL players that he knows, including Maple Leafs Mitchell Marner and Morgan Rielly, Edmonton Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse, and Arizona Coyotes forward Taylor Hall.

The band also helped drive fundraising efforts for various organizations, following Budweiser's lead in making significant contributions. They raised $50,000 for Food Banks Canada and sold exclusive merchandise in a collaboration with their local YCMA, which was launching virtual health classes.

"I know it's a pretty tough time for everybody but the thing that made me feel good is when you see something like Budweiser donating $500,000 to the Red Cross," Kerman said. "That kind of generosity is going to be the thing that pulls everybody through."

As the lockdown continued, the band worked on their latest album, due out August 20, by recording their parts individually and putting them together after the fact. Kerman described the album as a departure from their raucous live shows and a return to their singer-songwriter roots.

"It was really fun to be in that headspace," Kerman said. "The arrangements are a little softer, a little more intimate and I think it's going to suit the time that we're in now. Music's gotten a little quieter right now because there's no big outdoor events, so it feels pretty appropriate."

And their reunion for the tribute concert is a testament to the ongoing efforts and sacrifices by essential workers.

"The thing we're most excited about is this opportunity to collaborate with the NHL and Budweiser to honor the people that got us back to today because we weren't being led by such fearless people that were guiding the rest of us along, there would be no hockey and there would be no opportunity for the band to come play together," Kerman said. "It's really about the community leaders and essential service workers that got us back here."