Hochul’s awkward Bills chant falls flat at Buffalo stadium ribbon-cutting

Empire State Gov. Kathy Hochul’s attempt to fire up a hometown crowd at the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Buffalo Bills’ new stadium turned into an awkward spectacle Tuesday after her repeated chants were met with near-total silence.

The Buffalo native took the stage at the newly completed $2.1 billion Highmark Stadium wearing a Bills cap and a blue-and-white outfit, opening her remarks with an energetic, “Alright, let’s get this party started, let’s go!”

The response was muted, drawing only scattered applause from the audience.

Undeterred, Hochul launched into a call-and-response, shouting, “Buffalo, let’s go!” while pointing to different sections of the crowd in an effort to get fans to join in.

Almost no one did.

After several seconds of silence, the governor abandoned the chant and jokingly scolded the audience.

“Alright, seriously? You want to win a championship season with that kind of enthusiasm?” she said. “Men and women of labor, you know what I’m talking about.”

She then tried once more to rally the crowd, but the second attempt also fizzled.

“We gotta give this place some good karma, right?” Hochul said before moving on with her prepared remarks.

The ceremony marked the completion of the Buffalo Bills’ new 60,000-seat Highmark Stadium, a $2.1 billion project that broke ground in June 2023. The venue is expected to serve as the franchise’s home for at least the next 30 years, replacing the adjacent stadium that has housed the team since 1973.

The new stadium is scheduled to open ahead of the upcoming NFL season.

Watch the clip above.