Sunday’s BET awards ceremony celebrating 50 years of HipHop was near perfect with Patti LaBelle adding a little bit of human imperfection that will make the event even more memorable. The 79 year old R&B legend who is popularly referred to as the Godmother of Soul forgot the lyrics to “The Best” while singing her tribute to Tina Turner.
Turner who was 83 died on may 24. Tina Turner was known as the Queen of Rock n Roll. The whole incident was a lesson in professionalism and excellence of performance. You can find the video of Patti fumbling here.
Patti LaBelle says she can't see the words
— RNB RADAR (@RNB_RADAR) June 26, 2023#BETAwards
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Here’s what happened. Patti was singing “The Best” as a tribute to the late Tina Turner when the teleprompter located at the back of the theater was obstructed unwittingly by some members of the audience. She couldn’t see the lyrics, and she didn’t know certain parts of the song by heart.
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So, she fumbled a little bit, sang “What if I can’t see… the words… I don’t know?” and said “I’m trying y’all” and then moved on to the chorus. The live audience, as you’d be able to see in the video, took the whole situation as a natural human error. They were supportive of Patti, and they joined her for the chorus.
Twitter was less kind. Some said it was disrespectful, some said not knowing the lyrics was absurd. A lot of these commenters might not be aware of the legacy of someone like Patti LaBelle, and it is strange how someone can fail to appreciate the level of professionalism, and efficacy, she handled the situation.
The musicality of the mishap was anything but a true tribute to a great rockstar. Patti handled it like a boss, to say the least.
