Marcel Marceau eat your heart out

[Gob]

Conflicting reports have emerged over whether Beyonce sang live at President Barack Obama's inauguration.

A spokeswoman for the Marine Corps Band told The Times in a "last minute" decision, Beyonce opted to perform to a pre-recorded backing track.

However, the Marine Corp told the BBC "no-one in the Marine Band is in a position to assess whether it was live or pre-recorded".

But it confirmed that the band itself was not playing live.

Millions of people tuned in to watch the president be sworn in for his second term in office. The ceremony was punctuated by performances from James Taylor, Kelly Clarkson, as well as Beyonce, who sang the national anthem.

When the Times reported that the singer had mimed, the story quickly travelled around the world.

The newspaper quoted a spokeswoman for the Marine Corps Band, Master Sergeant Kristin duBois, who said: "We pre-recorded all music as a matter of course and have done since time immemorial.

"This is our 54th inauguration… There is no question of there not being any music, it's not because the performer cannot do it."

However, the spokeswoman did not state outright that Beyonce mimed her part of the performance.

In a statement, the Marine Corps gave the BBC a fuller picture of the events: "There was no opportunity for Ms Knowles-Carter to rehearse with the Marine Band before the inauguration so it was determined that a live performance by the band was ill-advised for such a high-profile event.

"Each piece of music scheduled for performance in the Inauguration is pre-recorded for use in case of freezing temperatures, equipment failure, or extenuating circumstances.

"Regarding Ms Knowles-Carter's vocal performance, no-one in the Marine Band is in a position to assess whether it was live or pre-recorded."

Some reports suggested the singer had pre-recorded her vocal in a studio at the Marine Barracks Annex on Sunday night.

They were drawing inferences from a series of images posted on the star's website over the weekend - one of which showed her in the studio holding the sheet music for the Star Spangled Banner.

If the claims turned out to be true, they would not be without precedent.

In 2009, American cellist Yo Yo Ma mimed his performance at President Obama's first inauguration, saying the freezing temperatures and wind might have affected his instrument live.

Celebrities and fans have been debating Beyonce's performance.

Soul legend Aretha Franklin, who also performed at the 2009 ceremony, said the star did "a beautiful job", even if she was miming.

"When I heard the news this evening that she was pre-recorded I really laughed," she told ABC News.

"I thought it was funny because the weather down there was about 46 or 44 degrees and for most singers that is just not good singing weather.

"But she did a beautiful job with the pre-record... Next time I'll probably do the same."

On Twitter, TV presenter Piers Morgan said: "Beyonce still SANG it, everyone. It was HER voice."

Brooklyn band Prince Rama commented: "I actually think Beyonce lip-syncing the national anthem is one of the best conceptual art pieces I've seen in a long time".

While Los Angeles musician Michael Anthony defended the star, saying: "It doesn't even look like Beyonce was lip syncing at all."

A blog post on the Washington Times website said: "Some Beyonce fans insist it looked real, especially when she ripped out her earpiece midway through the song".

The BBC contacted Beyonce's representatives who said they would not be making a comment on the issue.

[Joe Guy]

It doesn't look to me like Beyonce mimed the Star Spangled Banner but I'm almost positive that Obama lip synced his acceptance speech.

[oldr_n_wsr]

Lip sync? Who cares. Didn't watch, and if I did, I was not watching whther or not people lip synced.
But if I were to "perform" on any kind of stage, I would do it live and let the chips fall as they may.
and you do not want to hear me live on anything other than Road House Blues as I do a mean version of that song

[Gob]

Singer Beyonce has admitted miming during her rendition of the American national anthem at the inauguration of President Obama last month.

She told reporters that she was a "perfectionist" and - due to lack of rehearsal time - "did not feel comfortable taking a risk".

"I wanted to make him [Obama] and my country proud, so I decided to sing along with my pre-recorded track."

"I'm very proud of my performance," she said.

The star opened the press conference in New Orleans by asking reporters to stand before performing a live rendition of the national anthem.

"I am a perfectionist and one thing about me is that I practise until my feet bleed and I did not have time to rehearse with the orchestra," the Grammy-winning artist said on Thursday.

She said her decision to mime the track was triggered by the weather, delays and "no proper soundcheck", adding that pre-recording is "very common in the music industry".

"It was a live television show and a very, very important emotional show for me and one of my proudest moments," she said.

However, she insisted she would be singing live for her half-time Superbowl performance on Sunday - one of the most-watched TV events in the United States.

[rubato]

Yoyo Ma and the other musicians with him in the last inauguration admitting syncing because the extreme cold did not allow playing stringed acoustic instruments.

Get over it.

yrs,
rubato

[oldr_n_wsr]

Didn't watch, didn't care about it.
Still don't.
didn't even watch her at halftime of the Super Bowl.

Was she live or was it memorex?