Probably the worst nightmare for a performer is to walk out on the biggest platform in front of millions of people and hear nothing instead of the music you are about to sing to. Due to a dreaded technical issue the music is not playing.
You simply stand there as a result. Awaiting.
When Carrie Underwood entered the Capitol Rotunda this afternoon to perform America the Beautiful during President Trump’s inauguration, she had the most agonizing type of awkward moment. The schedule of activities said that the United States Naval Academy Glee Club and the Armed Forces Chorus will accompany her. That did not occur.
You might say a lot about the new president or the individuals he invited to attend his inauguration, for example. For accepting the invitation to perform at the event, Underwood has come under fire. In response, she issued a statement saying she was “honored to have been asked to sing at the Inauguration and to be a small part of this historic event.”
But none of that is nearly as fascinating as her reaction at that very moment. She just asked the audience to join her in singing, and she performed the song a cappella after standing through what must have been the longest thirty seconds of her professional career.
“We just have to mention an unplanned part of the ceremony that took place a few moments ago,” NBC’s Savannah Guthrie said after it happened. “There was a pause right before Carrie Underwood was meant to sing. It seems as though there was some kind of problem with the accompaniment of the band that was supposed to play along with her. So yes, spontaneously, she sang a cappella with a few scattered voices.”
Carrie Underwood is a professional, of course. She is capable of performing America the Beautiful without the accompaniment of music. She is Carrie Underwood for that reason. Furthermore, it demonstrates how skilled she truly is because she simply continued with what was a respectable rendition of America the Beautiful after it became evident that the music that was intended to accompany her would not be performed.
In particular, I believe Underwood did two things well. She first refused to let that deter her from doing the task for which she had come. She performed as well as she could for the moment despite the difficult situation.
She didn’t try to accomplish too much to start. She only sang a couple verses of the song, not the whole thing. She appeared to be aware of the situation and understood that she didn’t need to sing too loudly if it would only be her singing. Ultimately, the performance was excellent, but we all learned a lesson from it as well.
Occasionally, plans don’t work out as expected. Technical issues can occasionally prevent you from performing the type of performance you have practiced. You’ve experienced that type of thing, of course. Perhaps you discovered that your slides were out of order or that you were missing the notes you needed for your presentation. A pro’s ability to rapidly and effectively adjust when things go wrong is one of their defining characteristics.
Regarding the inauguration, you are free to say whatever you want. Even Underwood’s choice to take part can be criticized. But you have to realize that she gave us all a tutorial in how to deal with unpleasant situations, which was every artist’s greatest nightmare.
