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So Beyonce lip-synced the National Anthem. What amazes me is that anyone is actually surprised. For years pop concerts have been questionably “live”. Where there a highly orchestrated show involving complex dance regimes, multiple costume changes, essential synchronization with lighting and backdrops – much live music is little more than karaoke. In the era of digital recording, auto tune and backing tracks entirely constructed in pro tools – one can fully understand why an artist would not take a chance on messing up a live performance. Virtually everybody is synching their music to a click track. Better to pre-record a perfect track, pitch correct and mime. Nobody complained about miming on top of the pops for decades. So what’s the big deal? Pop music was never about live performance or “keeping it real”, it is about showbiz – appearance rather musicianship.
I would be truly appalled if Bob Dylan, the Rolling Stones, Neil Young or even Mumford and Sons were outed for miming. Brittney, Beyonce or One Direction: who really cares?

~ by Pat Neligan on January 22, 2013.

Posted in live music