Rocking the Invictus Games

The Naden Band of the Royal Canadian Navy perform alongside Katy Perry during the opening ceremony of the Invictus Games 2025 at BC Place, Vancouver, B.C. on Feb. 8. Photo: Corporal Conor R.G. Munn, Canadian Armed Forces Imagery Technician

The Naden Band performs with Katy Perry at the 2025 Invictus Games

Master Sailor Zack Everett 
The Naden Band of the Royal Canadian Navy 

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The Naden Band experienced some pop stardom last month at the Invictus Games 2025. While performing throughout the week-long event in Vancouver, the opening ceremony on Feb. 8 is something they will not soon forget.

“Our band is no stranger to being involved in large ceremonies, but this was on another level,” says Chief Petty Officer 2^nd Class (CPO2) Brayden Wise, Unit Chief and Drum Major. “The size of the crowd, the level of talent involved, and the purpose behind it being so important.”

The Invictus Games, founded by the Duke of Sussex, are an international sporting competition for ill and injured military members or veterans. The mission of the Games is to honour the people who have come face-to-face with the reality of sacrificing for their country, using the power of sports to help them on their journey of recovery.

The Naden Band joined forces with the Royal Canadian Artillery Band from Edmonton and the local reserve band from 15^th Field Regiment, an opportunity to join forces with more than the usual 35 band members. The true highlight for every musician this time was working with pop-icon Katy Perry.

The grand finale of the opening ceremony involved Katy Perry emerging from within the band, marching right along with them to her hit song, Roar. Breaking into a jog as the bands split in two, her outfit changed colour like a chameleon. Dancers joined her on a stage which the band surrounded before the song eventually morphed into Dark Horse.

“Working with her was incredible,” said CPO2 Wise. “She was very professional and integrated into the group easily. Despite the long rehearsals in cold temperatures, everyone stayed excited and worked hard.”

Katy even posed holding the mace, which the drum major uses to control the marching band during a performance.

Some members also worked with Coldplay frontman Chris Martin who composed the Invictus Anthem for the first games in 2014. This was the first time he performed it live. The text is based on the William Ernest Henly poem from which the Invictus Games take their name and is famous for its final lines: I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul.

“Chris Martin made sure to shake all our hands just before heading out into the stadium,” said Sailor 1^st Class Andrew George, who helped to rearrange the music for the combined band to perform along with choir and strings. “He always seemed most interested in the music and the people making it.”

Other acts at the ceremony included Grammy-nominated Noah Kahan, Nelly Furtado, and Quebec sensation Roxane Bruneau. There was also one of the largest gatherings of Pipes and Drums ever in Canadian history.

During the Games, the bands performed feature concerts at the Vancouver Convention Centre next to numerous military exhibits. For another celebrity meeting, one of the performances happened to follow Canadian legend Fred Penner.

The first shows by two new ensembles within the band also took place on the Invictus stage. Petty Officer 2^nd Class (PO2) Cindy Hawchuk, the Naden Band’s new vocalist, led multiple performances of a pop/rock band and I led a funk brass band. These groups energised the crowd and got them to their feet dancing along to hits like ‘Paralyser,’ ‘Flowers,’ ‘Tom Sawyer,’ and ‘Man! I Feel Like A Woman!’

Overall, CPO2 Wise felt this was an important moment for the Naden Band. “We are very proud to have been able to support those current and former serving members who volunteered to help raise awareness of rehabilitative sports,” he said. “Military bands are usually one of the few chances for the public to encounter the Canadian Armed Forces, so watching these extraordinary athletes doing an incredible job at reaching people and showing what it means to sacrifice for your country and persevere, it is inspiring.”

Petty Officer 2nd Class Cindy Hawchuk sings O Canada during the Invictus Games opening ceremony. Photo: Sailor 2nd Class Jordan Schilstra, MARPAC Imaging Services.