The real problem with Beyoncé’s Inauguration performance wasn’t the lip-synching; It was that the solemn occasion required Beyoncé to just stand there and sing. She can do that, of course — she proved that at her press conference on Thursday, and again tonight, with her crazy head-banging “Halo†finale — but all of this focus on Beyoncé’s voice was missing the point. Beyoncé is a spectacle. She is a force of nature. She was put on this Earth to stomp around in giant gladiator heels and shake it to the “uh ohâ€s while giant fireballs launch into the stadium sky. Luckily, this is exactly the sort of thing that happens at the Super Bowl halftime show, and so our great nation was finally allowed to enjoy Beyoncé in her natural habitat. And it was amazing. Bonkers. Beyoncé literally broke the Super Bowl.
On the question of the live-singing, we’re going to side with the Truthers; she dropped in and out with random believability (especially during “Haloâ€), and the ad-libs matched up. There was a little bit of choreography recycling — specifically the Beyoncé Kalediscope from the 2011 Billboard Awards, which spawned the first wave of plagiarism rants (expect more of those tomorrow) — but we would happily watch the reunited members of Destiny’s Child do the “Single Ladies†dance forever. Especially when Bey flips both hands and makes that “I got a ring now†face. That face is the best.
Other random observations:
-Did the Sasha Fierce face get angrier, or is Beyoncé just particularly pissed off about the Inauguration stuff?
-Shouts to both Michelle Williams and Kelly Rowland for not falling over during that entrance. Those underground stage-cannons are pretty fast!
-More Beyoncé holograms, please. For really any occasion.
-Finally, this move:
