So Beyonce didn’t sing live — so what?
Loading ...So Beyonce sang to a track of “The Star-Spangled Banner” at Monday’s inauguration.
Shrug.
Whitney Houston once did the same at the Super Bowl and her rendition of the same song remains one of its most iconic versions.
And let’s not forget, at the 2009 inauguration, famed celloist Yo-Yo Ma and other musicians pre-recorded their performances two days earlier and played along during the ceremony.
It’s January in D.C. It’s cold. Strings break. Instruments crack. Unrehearsed voices swerve off-key.
If you’re Beyonce and you’re invited to sing at the country’s most high-profile event, aren’t you going to prepare a safety net?
Oh say can you...sing? Photo: Getty Images
Ever attend an event with hundreds of thousands of people with makeshift speakers spread throughout the premises? Then you know what happens. The delay effect. By the time the live vocal hits the speaker hundreds of yards from the stage, the singer is on to the next line and suddenly you have a jumble of words and music colliding in the air.
[Updated Jan. 23: Aretha Franklin has weighed in and says while she opted to sing live at the 2009 inauguration, she understands why Beyonce would choose to pre-record.]
We all know Beyonce can sing, just like we all know Houston could – in her prime – blow down a wall with her voice. Beyonce still recorded the song with those same potent pipes (as Houston did as well).
This isn’t quite the same thing as Britney Spears or Chris Brown lip-synching during their shows to mask vocal insufficiencies (her) or because more attention is being given to the dancing and spectacle (him…and her a little).
This is simply a matter of practicality.
Ah, but Kelly Clarkson didn’t sing to a track during “My Country ‘Tis of Thee,” you say.
Well, maybe it was a matter of comfort. Reportedly, Clarkson had time over the weekend to rehearse while Beyonce, apparently so busy preparing for her Super Bowl performance, wasn’t able to zip into town until Sunday night.
So is it really that big of a deal that Beyonce sang along to her own pre-recorded voice? Take our poll and have your say.
Follow me on Twitter and Facebook.
By Melissa Ruggieri, The Music Scene
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© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
99 comments Add your comment
Thank you
January 22nd, 2013
4:42 pm
No, it is NOT a big deal. I’m so sick of people aggravating & criticizing this woman at every chance they get. I am, by far, not the biggest Beyonce fan but give the woman her credit. It was STILL her voice. She can STILL sing. All of these so called artists who scream their way through there performances & shows end up having to cancel appearances due to vocal issues. I have yet to hear about her having to cancel a show, vocal appearance or world tour because her cords were damaged. Beyonce was smart to lip-sync & preserve her voice.
Rella
January 22nd, 2013
5:04 pm
I don’t blame her. What is the big deal? The acoustics were awful there.
Synonomous
January 22nd, 2013
5:21 pm
Less concerned about that than I am the fact that Beyonce and Jay-Z were sitting behind the President like they’re important or something. Like they’ve done anything for this country besides raise a crapload of money for Barack Obama. It concerns me when our government is more interested in hanging out with celebrities than with regular Americans. But then they don’t care about regular Americans; us normal folk are for looking at outside while they sit in their limosines.
Sammy Dawg
January 22nd, 2013
5:23 pm
Because if this were not such a “hip” artist, you would title the article “so and so didn’t sing live, this prooves they are fake and the act is reflective of our government”
Gary
January 22nd, 2013
5:24 pm
No biggie.
K in the A
January 22nd, 2013
5:31 pm
Rehearsing for the Superbowl is more important than singing before the President of the United States?
Vicki
January 22nd, 2013
5:35 pm
Live should be live…….
barndweller
January 22nd, 2013
5:37 pm
a recording can be improved, pitch and tempo errors are easily corrected.
the assumption that you can judge a singer’s abilities by listening to studio recordings is no longer true
Vicki
January 22nd, 2013
5:37 pm
Should have gone with her first choice…..Super Bowl!!!! Pass on Obama.
chuckie99
January 22nd, 2013
5:47 pm
None of the people up there care anything abot America so it made no difference.
pd
January 22nd, 2013
5:49 pm
If you are a professional you should be able to sing no matter the situation. If she is going to lip sing, just plug in a CD. I enjoy her whn she performs, but I want to see the real thing – just SING!
missnadine
January 22nd, 2013
5:57 pm
I agree- a professional singer should sing. Aretha Franklin sang live 4 years ago, but she is a true old-school professional.
middle of the road
January 22nd, 2013
6:01 pm
Sorry, I think live should be live. So what if you make some small mistake – it happens. That is what makes it REAL. Why not just play soundtracks during plays? I would have had less issue with her voice cracking than finding out it is a pre-recorded perfomance.
hhhmmm
January 22nd, 2013
6:04 pm
Seems appropriate. President Obama’s been lip syncing his way through his presidency….
What's new
January 22nd, 2013
6:07 pm
Live…just be just that..LIVE! But she oversang it anyway. Only in America, you will a former drug dealer on the podium…but $$$ talk!
Mr. Cresote.
January 22nd, 2013
6:11 pm
It was the NATIONAL ANTHEM of OUR COUNTRY! For the INAUGURATION of the President.
If she is the performer she thinks she is, she should have been able to do it live.
VegasMitch
January 22nd, 2013
6:11 pm
i Wonder why they Hardly Ever Question why, Why Britney Spears,
Britney Spears, Britney Spears Never, Never, Never sings Live. Concerts, Award Shows, Never& she has been Allowed 2 get away with this Scam& make $100’s of Millions. Just saying they Killed Milli Vanilli 4 doing what Brit has been doing she she became a Teenager!!
Pompano
January 22nd, 2013
6:44 pm
It is rather disrespectful to be invited to sing for the President and not even bother. Though I doubt she could have pulled off a live performance anyway – imagine most of her Superbowl half-time show will be lip-sync as well. Should have invited Alicia Keys instead.
DecaturLady
January 22nd, 2013
6:45 pm
I think she did a great job of singing the national anthem….no big deal. Still an historic event!
FarTrain
January 22nd, 2013
6:46 pm
Why am I not surprised at MR putting forth this convoluted argument? It’s so typical of her. Fake article about a fake singer, goes hand in hand!
FarTrain
January 22nd, 2013
6:49 pm
Funniest thing I’ve heard today was someone on TV saying somebody in the audience should have called 911 when Alicia Keyes was singing(yelling!) “Obama’s on Fire!” That would have been hilarious and that person could have just said, “well, I thought she was serious”! Would have served them right. How stupid can you be!
William
January 22nd, 2013
6:51 pm
That sleazy B**CH couldn’t sing a lic if her life depended onit.
Vocoder ho’ sleepin’ with the powerfull..
Gm
January 22nd, 2013
6:52 pm
For us to even debate this shows how low of standards we have become, and how low these singers today are, Marvin Gaye did not lip sing and he had the best version, today want to be soul singers are the worst of any generation, and listeners have decline in standards and value.
FarTrain
January 22nd, 2013
6:55 pm
One more thing just hit me. If she was not singing live and was “sync-lipping” (I like that better) and not trying to pull one, why did she have a mic in her hand and in front of her mouth? That proves her intentions right there. Disingenuous!
No Excuses Beyonce
January 22nd, 2013
6:57 pm
Kelly Clarkson did a live performance and for ’singing out loud’, so did James Taylor!! You don’t think his fingers weren’t cold while stringing on the guitar???!!!!!! Her performance would have been talked about if she did error or lip sync. The other artists was bold and brave enough to do it and did it with class. I love the confidence they displayed. Dissappointed Beyonce.
CaribbeanQueen
January 22nd, 2013
6:57 pm
So what indeed!!
It’s not like neuclear disarmament or world peace depended on it….Relax people…it’s 2013….
Jim Warren
January 22nd, 2013
7:03 pm
Well, I kinda think the whole purpose of INVITING someone to sing is for them TO SING. Otherwise, why not just play a tape of Beyonce singing. I am frankly surprised that she didn’t insist on singing…it is for a PRESIDENTIAL inauguration for goodness sake.
Don't Get it Twisted!!!
January 22nd, 2013
7:08 pm
Yes, I think that B (and her ugly man Jay-Z) are fake……………..they have enough money to be! But don’t get it twisted……….this has nothing to do with our wonderful President! He is a God send….especially compared to that lying turd Bush (both of them!!!!). If she’s so great, then yes she should have sang live, but really, do I care………NO!!!! This doesn’t change anything that’s really important…..like the job that our President is faced with dealing with these hateful republicans….sipping on their “Hater-ade”, trying to keep him from making a difference for all people.
I definitely won’t care if I miss halftime on Sunday….that will be a good time for drink and food refills.
"Chef" Tim Dix
January 22nd, 2013
7:16 pm
Beyonce should have danced and left the singing to Kelly. The birds stop to here her beautiful voice.
Michal
January 22nd, 2013
7:25 pm
Did you see all the guys on stage looking at her booty?
skeeter
January 22nd, 2013
7:45 pm
YAWN……………
Praveen
January 22nd, 2013
7:49 pm
It is not a big deal, but it is not something that should be encouraged either. An inauguration video is going to be saved for history. Why not risk a few off notes in case the voice fails and be an authentic part of history instead of taking the easy way out? She is capable of singing live. So there is no misrepresentation of her talent. But I wish she had the courage to just belt it live. Another thing is she was given so much underseved praise for the performance when it was lipsynched. A SB performance is different because a lot of dancing is involved and it is not as serious of an event as a Presidential event.
I wish we didn’t lower our standards for authenticity. We just accept that it isOK for reality shows to fake things. It’s one thing when Jersey Shore fakes it, but when you see The Learning Channel an Food network fake a lot of stuff in their reality shows, you wonder if we dont value accuracy in our society and those lowered stndards will seep into other areas like an auditor’s report on Wall Street.
daniel
January 22nd, 2013
7:51 pm
Kinda goes with the “fake”president she was singing it for.
Billy
January 22nd, 2013
8:02 pm
LOL…Yep. pretended President and pretend singer … what a match..
Chris
January 22nd, 2013
8:09 pm
Performers should always sing live. How is it a true performance if you are not actually singing? Might as well just put the cd on and let it play if it’s not going to be a live performance.
native atlantan
January 22nd, 2013
8:13 pm
I dont give a dam about her, her husband, or her child. We know only reason she was invited.
Zoe
January 22nd, 2013
8:20 pm
I am a bit tired of Beyonce and all the artificiality around her. There are plenty of great entertainers out there. She is overexposed. Enough already.
Praveen
January 22nd, 2013
8:23 pm
And here is another point. If it is not such a big deal, then why not just sing it live? You know why? Just because you can sing it well beforehand, it doesn’t mean you have it in your to necessarily deal with aslightly imperfect performance in front of the President and the world. It is not the same setting as an arena packed with your fans. I am more disappointed by her lack of courage than any possible misrepresenation of her talent.
Dickelsby
January 22nd, 2013
8:23 pm
DGIT: How’s that 5 trillion new dept working out for ya????……..Most adult americans considered this a ” swearing at” rather than ’swearing in ‘ ceremony…..All official major government functions should be accompanied by a worthy Marching Band with hands over heart attention!……Its the USA first and the entertainment second!!!
John
January 22nd, 2013
8:29 pm
Just another example of “musicians” today; can’t read music, can’t play instruments and can’t sing unless they have computers synthesize their voices to sound good because they can’t sing. And YES if she is getting paid to sing she ought to sing live. Anything less is ripping off the customers besides like I said this generation of classless musicians can’t perform; they SUCK and so doe BOUNCY, lol.
Son of Sammy Davis jr, jr
January 22nd, 2013
8:35 pm
I think it’s a big deal that she lip sync. It’s a damn shame when a sista who’s suppose to be a singer can’t sing live. James Taylor sang live yesterday, so did Kelly Clarkson.
PB
January 22nd, 2013
8:37 pm
I agree.
Don Coyote
January 22nd, 2013
8:48 pm
What is regarded as one of the best anthems was lip synched by Whitney at a Superbowl. One of the worst was not lip synched at a Superbowl by Aretha and Aaron Neville and neither of those two are bad singers.
SuSu
January 22nd, 2013
8:53 pm
I agree with most of the posters here. Performing LIVE should be a requirement for such a significant event. If she couldn’t fit rehearsals into her schedule, maybe she should have passed on the gig. I’m not a fan of either Beyonce or Kelly Clarkson, but Clarkson’s enthusiasm was adorable, and she sang LIVE, as did JT. Meanwhile Beyonce and Jay-Z strutted around like they were way more important than they are. BOTH are overrated and overexposed.
MM
January 22nd, 2013
9:21 pm
Who cares if a dancing stripper is afraid of hurting her rep with a bad performance? Like almost all music these days she’s fake and interesting only to those who don’t know the difference in what she does and good music. Plastic crappola. on a stick!
cloudodust
January 22nd, 2013
9:24 pm
Lip sync’n any tune requires nothing more than a cardboard cut-out of the recorded artist standing in the breeze. Why waste time running a live body out there to fake-play music. Long live Vanilla Ice, huh..? Funny part is the MSM trying to down play this while attacking other attempts in the past just like it…
guy
January 22nd, 2013
9:25 pm
much ado about nothing. better things to watch than anything to do with obama anyway. YAWN!
ProfitBGoode
January 22nd, 2013
9:30 pm
Was Beyonce invited to sing live pro bono, or was she paid to lip-sync the Star Spangled Banner?
At least Beyonce did not embarrass herself and her fellow Americas as did Hillary Clinton during the Democratic in 2008, or WORSE; Roseanne Barr when she butchered The Star Spangled Banner on July 25, 1990, prior to a San Diego Padres MLB game at Jack Murphy Stadium (now Qualcomm Stadium). The Padres swiftly released an apology on behalf of Barr, especially for that part at the end where she grabs her crotch and spits.”
BUT at least Beyonce looked HOT, HOT, and HOT as she lip-synced the Star Spangled Banner.
Kelly
January 22nd, 2013
9:31 pm
REAL talent … Zack Brown Band at the Falcon’s game.
NO talent .. anything that Beyonce, JayZ, Bieber and GaGa sing….
don
January 22nd, 2013
9:37 pm
Not a twits difference from the President reading his remarks from the teleprompter.
Monica
January 22nd, 2013
9:38 pm
No, we don’t all know she can sing, people keep repeating that as if it’s a confirmed fact. If you ever go to her concert, you know she goes off key. She’s not the most talented singer, and her voice is not unique, I never know it’s her for sure when she comes on the radio because it could be a few other singers – like Kelly Rowland who basically sounds exactly the same, or Alecia Keys when she’s not straining..
But I admire Beyonce and I’m a fan because she worked hard to be where she is, and she puts on a good show, she’s a great entertainer – not singer. I’m not sure if comparing her to Houston is really correct in any way. I don’t care that she lip syncked, I’d rather have that then her go off tune, but it does look lame in comparison to Kelly and others who sang live. In my eyes Beyonce is still what she’s always been, good not great singer, great entertainer, hard working girl.
James
January 22nd, 2013
9:46 pm
Not really. Lipsyncing is suh a no-no and everyone in the business knows it. Therefore, if Byonce and her team decided it was in the best interest to lipsync then they must have had their reasons. The only part that is a turnoff now that I know it was lipsync is when she reaches up to adjust the earpiece and then finally takes it out. That was kind of too much. But let’s face it Byonce is such a beautiful and talented young woman this will not be a big deal.
Simon Cowell
January 22nd, 2013
10:14 pm
Live is Live….She is supposedly a professional singer. Tony Bennnett would never do that.
Kat
January 22nd, 2013
10:24 pm
I really think that anyone who’s up in arms about this doesn’t understand anything about how the music industry works or what it’s like to perform in conditions like that. When you don’t have ample rehearsal time to get your mix worked out (by itself this can take hours), get comfortable with singing wherever the band is placed, figure out how to stay warm, and not to mention figure out how to cope with the lag from the speakers… this is by far the right choice. Even when you do have that kind of rehearsal time (and let’s just talk about how much that costs, and how difficult something like that is to schedule,) a million things that are affected by weather and by a crowd that size could go wrong. You cannot afford a mistake in a situation like that, and there are just too many variables to risk it. I don’t even understand why this is being so remarked upon.
dude
January 22nd, 2013
10:32 pm
The fact that it’s common doesn’t make it proper. It cheapens the performer and exposes them as being unable to trust themselves to perform as advertised. Real talent can perform at will any time anywhere. Those that think it’s no big deal can’t tell the difference between talent and marketing. The reason the President reads from a teleprompter is because he can not create these thoughts himself so he reads what others have written for him. Marketing.
Bet 10 to1 those that think this is no big deal voted for Mr. Teleprompter
Pizzaman
January 22nd, 2013
10:42 pm
Of course it was a recording. It was OUTSIDE. We’d never have heard it if it wasn’t dubbed! At least she did a decent job.
tim
January 22nd, 2013
10:42 pm
To the author Melissa……..
when it’s “advertised’ that someone is “performing” or “singing” then thats what they should do.
Fake phony fraud
Just like the president.
If not.then just play a damn recording.
Pizzaman
January 22nd, 2013
10:43 pm
I should have aid never heard it that well.
Pizzaman
January 22nd, 2013
10:46 pm
President’s have been using teleprompters for decades. Before that they had written scripts. What did you think was in those binders they placed on the podium? Playboy!
Donny in Suwanee
January 23rd, 2013
12:05 am
It’s fine with me that she used a pre-recorded track in this instance. However, no one should be deceived into thinking that there was no pitch correction and vocal enhancement done at the recording studio. It’s done on virtually every track that we ever hear any more. That said, I thought that her recorded performance was just average. She shouldn’t even be mentioned in the same breath as Whitney. There is simply no comparison.
southgawreck
January 23rd, 2013
12:21 am
When country singer Luke Bryan sang the anthem at the MLB All-Star game, he caught flak for having some of the words written on his wrist just in case he had a brain fart. He still sang it. Where’s the flak for Beyonce?
highfallsdude
January 23rd, 2013
12:27 am
Fake singing just like a fake president, but like all the americans, eating all up, we are a nation of fools.
Fake Fake
January 23rd, 2013
3:30 am
If Kelly Clarkston can do it live then Beyonce should have done it live. She is a fake. Which means
she is not half as good as KC.
Reports: Beyonce lip-synched national anthem
January 23rd, 2013
4:28 am
[...] the other hand, my AJC colleague Melissa Ruggieri, over at the Music Scene, has a different take. Check it [...]
CK
January 23rd, 2013
5:21 am
Never mind the lip syncing, why does she feel the need to take such creative license with the melody? All the urban yodeling gets old, fast!
Sandra Davis
January 23rd, 2013
6:32 am
Beyonce, get to rehearsal on time. It is the President of the United States of America. Beyonce is a perfectionist as a performer. Her lip sync during a historical endeavor is a mistake. She will learn the lesson instantly. We are going to forgive her. Yes she is a performer. However, she and her team needs to understand that the President is leader of the freeworld not Beyonce. Always show respect by being on time and ready for your assignment. Apologize. Say thank you for the opportunity. Lip sync at other perormances but when the President calls sing. Give her another chance to sing for the President. She will make sound check. She will be on time. Most of all Beyonce will sing. The spirit of humility and love can live together in this moment of history.
dcb
January 23rd, 2013
6:50 am
Love the comments comparing Beyonce’s lip-syncing with Obama’s reading from the teleprompter. They make a good point! But really folks, is this worth even discussing. A show is a show is a show. And that’s all these inaugurations are – a show! Seems to me Beyonce didn’t feel comfortable that she wouldn’t blow it live – so lip-synced it for the sake of putting on a good show.
Justine
January 23rd, 2013
6:51 am
If you looked carefully she had an ear piece. This leads me to believe she was singing live with a recorded tape. This used is very popular with entertainers who do live presentations without their band. She has her style singing and phrasing and probably did not want to make a misstep with the band. I also believe those around her could hear her actually singing. But when it is all said and done this is another petty matter being blown out of proportions. Get a life people. Get a life.
Justine
January 23rd, 2013
7:01 am
One of the problems with situaitons like this is people make assumptions. And those assumptions are often designed to meet their particular point which they should. But the assuption is that she didn’t sign live. Many might believe that Kelly Clarkston did the same thing. Did the Marine Band play for Kelly Clarkston or did anyone even know care. And remember James Taylor only needed his guitar and to me he didnt sound any different than the rest.
B_D
January 23rd, 2013
7:45 am
Enter your comments here
G-money
January 23rd, 2013
7:49 am
I truly pity the few people that waste their time and efforts hating on successful people as opposed to investing that energy on their own success. Beyonce exercised wisdom when she put forth the effort to pre-record her rendition of the national anthem. In this way, she could control the quality of the performance as opposed to zero control in the wintery climate of the day along with the other audio/electronic nightmarish logistics involved with sound production throughout the plaza.
Senor Coughee
January 23rd, 2013
7:51 am
She’s pretending to sing. What’s the big deal? VERY appropriate for the occasion.
B_D
January 23rd, 2013
7:51 am
This is media driven. By making a comment to create controversy, we all come on this blog and talk about it. Whether it is the Times, Post, AJC or MSN, we express ourselves, at our favorite media outlet and the outlet gets traffic on our site. It becomes, to me, a sad state of affairs the way the media manipulates us to get all stirred up about nothing. This should be a non-issue but hear we are filling up pages on a topic that is really a non-topic. And the media outlet just sits back and smiles.
swanzae
January 23rd, 2013
8:01 am
Better to have her lipsync then to be like Christina Agullera a few Superbowls ago and just rip the song apart because she forgot the words or better yet didn’t know the words to the song. Why are you people so harsh? She is a talented singer.
I would love to see anyone of you perform in front of millions and millions of people. I wonder, would you be this critical on yourselves?
So Over Them
January 23rd, 2013
8:20 am
She (and her husband) are as phony as the day is long. They fit right in with the Obama narcissism.
Diane
January 23rd, 2013
8:29 am
Beyonce’s singing was an issue to me.Her disrespect to Vice President Biden as she did not acknowledge him as she did the President Obama. Totally unprofessional.
native atlantan
January 23rd, 2013
9:09 am
Honey Boo Boo is an example of white trash, Beyonce and Jay Z are an example of black trash.
Hillbilly D
January 23rd, 2013
10:40 am
This says more about the current state of the music business than about anything else.
aon
January 23rd, 2013
10:42 am
We should care because she lied. Live is Live. If she was not going to sing live she should have said so. Kelley Clarkston did it, but alas, Beyonce was too busy to prepare.
C Jae of EAV
January 23rd, 2013
10:45 am
Sorry nice try at deflection, but this was a wack choice that should have been trashed the moment it was hatched. Some speak of the weather, but wasn’t cold when Aretha sung at the last ceremony? Some speak of nerves, but isn’t this the same women who has been performing in front of crowds since she was in her early teens? Isn’t this the same women who has performed this same song live as a member of her former group Destiny’s Child (or maybe they lip sync’ed too..)
Beyonce was chosen in part for her noted vocal abilities, therefore authenticity in this moment and on this stage should have been the prevailing thought! If you’re that worried about your ability to do the job, how about this respectfully decline to do the gig, what a noval concept. And furthermore, much of this fanfare over this revelation seems to stem from how Mrs. Carter hammed up her lip syncing performance !
At the end of the day this too shall pass, but Beyonce is probabily enduring way more embarrassment from lip syncing than she would have if her voice cracked slightly singing live. Maybe Mr. Carter should have backed her up with some rap ab-lib’s to ease the tension of the moment
A Russell
January 23rd, 2013
11:42 am
You didn’t lip sync. She sang with the recording. There is a difference. ou can tel the echo between the recording and her singing with the mic. She did sing live…She just song with the recording.
hoodtechie
January 23rd, 2013
1:07 pm
Just goes to show you just how average she really is, without the electronics to compensate for her voice she would be booted off of American idol.money, makeup and a husband in the industry goes a long way. The fact that so many people have to come to her defense lets you know she was indeed lip synching the song. the reason for the ear piece is because she can’t remember something as basic as the national anthem, so much for her intelligence.oh well let’s she how she holds up on the super bowl stage, they wouldn’t dare let her sing live, her vocals and ability to carry a tune without electronics will out just how terrible she sings.
david c
January 23rd, 2013
1:11 pm
Of course you wouldn’t care Melissa. You didn’t care the other night when you couldn’t hear the vocals at a live performance by a SINGER the other night. Just sayin’.
War Jacket
January 23rd, 2013
2:00 pm
I think this is pretty pitiful, and America deserves more than some pre-recorded national anthem performance. Is this really the best our country has to offer??
BTW none of the artists came close to matching the choir that sang the Battle Hymn of the Republic. They should have sung the anthem.
The Ghost of Whitney
January 23rd, 2013
2:16 pm
Fake pregnancy. Fake singer. Probably fake boobs too.
Singing for a fake president. No surprise here.
LaKeisha Jackson
January 23rd, 2013
3:03 pm
You’re absolutely right, Melissa.
Under the circumstances…the weather was bitterly cold, the wind was very strong…lip-synching was the best thing to do. You want everything to be as perfect as it can possibly be, so playing everything pre-recorded through the loudspeakers was the correct move. Even the Marine Band didn’t attempt to play.
But here’s the problem: We all KNOW that a lot of these things are lip-synched, and we all know it’s the best thing to do. So why lie about it?
Fan
January 23rd, 2013
3:04 pm
“So what?”
I think the “so what” is the fact that she was acting like a dramatic moment by pulling her ear bud out. She should go into acting as well. Maybe get a home video like Kardashian. Just another obozo bin biden supporter who fakes her way. She probably fakes it in the bedroom as well. Oops.
kool$kat
January 23rd, 2013
3:57 pm
She pretended to sing live, which is OK. Same as Pres Obama pretending to care about children, green energy, and women; so it was appropriate. When Obama says he’ll fight global warming, he really means your gasoline, natural gas, and electricity are about to get more expensive, etc…..
Fan
January 23rd, 2013
4:09 pm
@kool$kat – Well said.
Melissa Ruggieri
January 24th, 2013
12:12 am
David C – If you’re referring to my Ellie Goulding review, what I said was that it didn’t matter that you couldn’t hear her because even that didn’t deter her fans from singing along with every song. I think describing her voice as “aural cotton candy that was continually overwhelmed by the band” is a pretty good indication that I was annoyed that I couldn’t hear her (partially because of the crowd, partially because, as I pointed out, she isn’t a very powerful singer). The point was that her fans are so devoted that not even the inability to hear her vocals quashed their adoration for her.
Hope that clarifies.
Cheers,
Melissa
Anonymous
January 24th, 2013
12:42 am
STUPID REPUBLICAN MOTHER F ERS DON’T KNOW WHAT THEY’RE TALKING ABOUT!!! Lincoln will surely spin in his grave right now and I am ASHAMED of the Republican Party right now saying that Obama should leave office and Beyonce should be ashamed of herself! WHAT A BUNCH OF RACISTS AND SEXISTS!!!!!! HOW LOW CAN U SUCKERS STOOP TO LIE THROUGH YOUR TEETH ABOUT A LOT OF HUMBLE AND HONEST PEOPLE!!
In the words of Thaddeus Stevens from Steven Spielberg’s “Lincoln”, the GOP is more “reptile than man”!
The GOP back in Lincoln’s time was uber cool, but now they don’t stand for equality! They stand for the injustice of race, sex, women, gays and lesbians, and wars and guns and violence, and they are the ABSOLUTE opposite of what Lincoln, Martin Luther King Jr., Kennedy and Obama stand for! They show NO SYMPATHY TO CLINTON TEARFULLY TESTIFYING OVER WHAT HAPPENED IN BENGHAZI and it makes me sick!!!
F THE REPUBLICAN PARTY!!!!
Staci
January 24th, 2013
7:47 am
If it happened during a concert where I had bought a ticket and paid for a LIVE performance, I’d be upset and want a refund. Don’t see where it matters under these circumstances.
ATLPeach
January 24th, 2013
8:20 am
It does matter. Singers sing, period. You would never go to the opera and expect to hear a recorded performance. Jessye Norman never lip synced. I’m so over the word hater. Nobody is hating, they have their opinion. I like Beyonce, but she went too far with the ear piece. Really?! It just made her seem as fake as many, many people thinks she is. And if she didn’t have the opportunity to properly rehearse, she should’ve politely said no thank you and allowed someone else to do it. Just not a professional thing to do, no matter who has done it before.
One more thing, recordings can be altered. They are perfected. Ever heard a recording and then heard the person live and wondered what happened? IJS
JBL55
January 24th, 2013
9:49 am
Just goes to show: Aretha Franklin (who sang live) is still the Queen.
native atlantan
January 24th, 2013
10:53 pm
Lipsync has been confirmed and Beyonce is confirmed to be nothing but black trash.
Blackshepherd
January 26th, 2013
7:21 am
All you CRY BABIES bashing Beyonce about not singing live yet Britney Spears is paid Millions to do the same thing? GET THE #%*%# out of here! Double Standard. Plain and simple! I knew you Cry Babies and Haters of Obama would come out in droves. What difference does it make its STILL her VOICE! OK granted, she chose to use a voice track same as WHITNEY HOUSTON did.
WHen Christian Agularia flubbed her one line many of you almost had a COW! Some did. She was singing Live. I much rather had heard Beyonce sing over a voice track than when they let Rosanne Bar Butcher the same song.
All you Cry Babies whinning and crying about her not singing live would sure had loved to see anyone of you CRY BABIES attempt to sing the song but I am not sure the president nor the rest of the nation feel like hearing any of You Sing. I would rather hear a Cow with its hoof stuck in a fence!
Americans: NO 1 CRY BABIES in THE WORLD..cry cry cry..THe story of the USA. Most Cryiest Country!
native atlantan
January 27th, 2013
10:23 am
Blackshepard, every singer you just mentioned are on mt trash list too, some white, some black, but trash is trash.
Vivi
January 27th, 2013
4:48 pm
The Marine Band should never have been put in this embarrassing position. Those close by noticed that the band was not playing. I Iove sitting in the ballpark catching the words of the National Anthem when they get to my section. It doesn’t need to be studio perfect! I think this 30 something clearly made a mistake in choosing recorded music.
charles mcmullen
January 27th, 2013
11:39 pm
I agree with those said that she sing live. the others did