Now I think I know why the sound of Beyonce's rendition of the National Anthem at yesterday's inauguration of President Obama's second term was of finest studio-condenser quality: because it
was a studio performance, lip-synced to an equally canned backing track of the Marine Band.
I don't know why this bugs me, but taking no chances in music, as in the arts in general, gets the offender penalty points, especially when there is no good excuse- bad health, inclement weather, etc.- and especially when performing the most sacred song of the American Songbook before a large and approving audience.
Faking facial expressions, and grimacing strenuous engagement of the vocal cords gets the offender another downgrade. Holding the mic with its gigantic foam screen covering the lips, so that only side-shots by the camera will reveal the fakery- yet another slide towards tackiness and deception.
Contrast that with Kelly Clarkson's performance, earlier, at the same event- so live! So stunning! She gave it all, and one could feel it. (OK, I am biased-she bought a KHE.)
A tight-rope walk using a safety net, no matter how elegant and perfect it may look, does not compute when you are supposedly the best in the business. If Aretha could do it, four years ago, in front of millions, and on a day 20º colder than yesterday, then Beyonce is obviously not quite in the same league.
Or, as one poster put it on Slate.com:
Yeah, it matters. What is the point of inviting a noted singer to sing the national anthem at one of the nation's most important events—one that will never be repeated with this same president ever again, if that singer doesn't actually sing live? Why not have her record it in the studio and have Biden press play on his iPod?
Adding an angle to the story that only surfaced 10 days after the inauguration: Beyonce declared in a recent press-conference that she didn't "have the time to practice", therefore chose to rather lip-sync the Anthem. Oh, I see, it was only a freebee. And only for one of the biggest events that this country has been celebrating every four years for more than 200 years. I'll bet, you would have found the time if the gig were well-paid.
http://seattletimes.com/html/entertainment/2020260455_beyonceanthemxml.html?prmid=head_main
