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WASHINGTON (AP) -- There's no question Beyoncé's rendition of the national anthem was a roaring success. The mystery: Was it live or lip-synced?
On Tuesday, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Marine Band told news outlets that Beyoncé had lip-synced at President Barack Obama's inauguration. Master Sgt. Kristin duBois said the band was notified at the last minute that Beyoncé would use a prerecorded voice track.
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But by late afternoon, the Marine Corps backed off that statement.
Marine Corps spokesman Capt. Gregory Wolf said that because there was no opportunity for Beyoncé to rehearse with the Marine Band, it was determined that a live performance by the band was ill-advised. Instead they used a prerecorded track for the band's portion of the song.
"Regarding Ms. Knowles-Carter's vocal performance," Wolf's statement continued, "no one in the Marine Band is in a position to assess whether it was live or pre-recorded."
A representative for Beyoncé did not respond to requests for comment.
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DuBois declined to answer further questions. Earlier in the day, she told The New York Times that the rest of the inaugural performance was live and they did not know why a recorded track was used for the national anthem.
"It's not because Beyoncé can't sing. We all know Beyoncé can sing. We all know the Marine Band can play," she said.
Kelly Clarkson's representative said she sang live to perform "America (My Country 'Tis of Thee)."
All inaugural music is prerecorded in case weather conditions or other circumstances interrupt the program.
The use of a recording is typical in big events. In 2009, cellist Yo-Yo Ma was questioned about "hand-syncing" for Obama's first inauguration. Ma said instruments weren't functioning properly in 19-degree weather.
"Is It Live... Or is it Memorex?"
For those who remember the old tape recording advertisement.... It's a shame that so many of these highly paid 'superstar' singers don't have enough confidence in their natural abilities to be able to sing the songs 'live', even if the renditions contain a blemish or two. Singing at public events does not have to be 'perfect' ...it only has to be from the heart.
Peace to all ~
As a singer, I agree with those who have stated that Beyonce performed live (not memorexed). Instruments, in cold weather (even at 45 degree weather) can be damaged. This is how come pre-recorded music is used - and how come Beyonce had an ear-mic. The SB is a different story - most of those performances are lip-synced. But no, Beyonce, James Taylor, Kelly Clarkson - they performed their pieces live.
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