photo: @kelly_clarkson
UPDATED: Earlier, a spokesperson from the Marine Band confirmed that Beyonce lipsynced. Now, the director of the Marine Band, Col. Michael J. Colburn will only confirm that the band fake-played to a pre-recorded backing track, but says he does not know for sure whether Beyonce was lip-syncing or singing live (corrected):
As for B, he noted that “it looked and sounded like she was singing her heart out” from where he was standing by the band, but he really didn’t know whether she was actually singing over the track playing, adding that only the sound person and Beyoncé herself would know that.
Hm. I wonder who got to the peeps at the Marine Band? Beyonce’s reps have yet to comment. Which, I think, pretty much confirms that she did, indeed, lipsync. Via EOnline
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So it turns out that Beyonce lip synced her version of the National Anthem at yesterday’s presidential inauguration ceremony in Washington DC.
This explains why, while I found the R&B singer’s rendition of the Star Spangled Banner very very nice and perfectly adequate, Kelly Clarkson’s “My Country “Tis of Thee” felt so much more immediate to me.
You see, Kelly sang LIVE, as she did when she performed a flawless National Anthem at the Superbowl last year.
Yes, I’ll say it again. Queen Bey’s NA was a a letdown for me, by comparison.
In Beyonce’s defense, singing live in front of millions of people is a pretty scary proposition. According to reports, she rehearsed with the Marine Band the night before, and decided at the last minute to lip sync to a backing track. Better safe than sorry. The slightest error singing the beloved anthem at a big event can cause bad press for days.
All the more reason to admire the singers who choose to sing it live. By the way, Carrie Underwood sang her Super Bowl NA live and a’capella a few seasons ago.
Via TMZ, The Daily Beast
