The Marine Corp Band said that it was standard procedure to record a backing track but Beyoncé decided shortly before her performance to rely on the studio version. Even the band then faked the performance to complete the false image.
Frankly, I have a serious problem with that decision particularly when all of the other artists gave live performances. This is an historic event that demands authenticity. We were not showing up to see Beyoncé. We were sharing a common experience celebrating the transition of power in a democracy. It was a shared and live experience. Instead, we got Beyoncé lip synching. Rather than producing a symbolic moment of shared patriotism, it now supplies a symbolic moment of celebrity self-indulgence or, worse yet, how much of our government presents a false image to the public. It suggests that it is not the substance but the appearance that is offered the public. I suppose we should be grateful that she did not decide to upgrade to a tape of Kate Smith.
I am not sure why she was given the choice since I assume the back up is needed for emergencies. The Marine Corp should have refused and the person responsible for going along with the lip synching should face some serious questions of judgment. This is a rare honor for any artist and I consider Beyoncé’s decision to be quite insulting. What do you think?
Source: The Times