There was never any question (in my mind) that Beyonce could belt out the Star Spangled Banner, live, if she wanted to. But there are those who used her controversial choice to sing over a backing track at the Obama inauguration as an excuse to throw mud at her abilities as a live vocalist. To silence the naysayers, The Queen of the Beehive, who has kept schtum on the whole affair since it happened, decided the best way to shut down those critics was to sing the anthem again, but this time, 100% live, and 100% a cappella!
Taking to the podium at the Super Bowl 2012 press conference- she's performing at the half-time ceremony, didn't you know?- the Destiny's Child member asked the audience to stand before launching into a pretty perfect rendition of the American National Anthem. If that didn't speak volumes in and of itself, the Diva then went on to address, directly, the issue of her choosing to you use a backing track at the inauguration, saying;
"I am a perfectionist, and one thing about me: I practice 'till my feet bleed. I did not have time to rehearse with the orchestra. It was a live television show... Due to the weather, due to the delay, due to no proper sound check... I did not feel comfortable singing live."
"Any Questions?"