The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade will be broadcast on NBC next week, featuring performances by heavy-hitters such as Kylie Minogue, Idina Menzel, Jennifer Hudson, The Roots, Joey McIntyre, and T-Pain. I’m not sure if these are technically the "headliners" of the parade, but as a Millennial who doesn't listen to much current pop music, these are the only people I know. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

If you're wondering which of the artists will actually be performing, you'd need to define "perform." All acts on a moving platform will use pre-recorded music and lip-sync their songs. Many fans have discovered this fact over the years and become quite displeased. How could megastars like Mariah Carey, Rita Ora, and even Cher choose to participate in such blatant (or perhaps not-so-blatant if they're good at it!) deception? While many artists have had obvious lip-syncing blunders in recent years, it's usually no fault of their own. They're unfortunately forced to fake it for a variety of reasons.

I had a chat with Leon Prather and Coran Smith, my colleagues at AVIXA, both of whom have backgrounds in audio and live performance, to find out why singing live from a float at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade would be a near impossible feat. 

(Though yes, Kelly Clarkson did pull it off in 2018, the coldest on record, but not on a moving float!)

The weather outside is (sometimes) frightful.

Any guesses on the coldest recorded temperature New York City has seen on Thanksgiving Day? Back in 1871 it was a frigid 15 degrees (-9 ℃) and in 2018 it came close to the record at 19 degrees (-7 ℃). And yes, parade goers in 1989 were treated to snow (along with a really great performance by the Joker). On the bright side, 1933 saw the warmest NYC Thanksgiving at 69 degrees (21℃).

All of this is to say, November weather in New York can be quite unpredictable. Aside from the very obvious fact that rain or snow can damage equipment and make for some uncomfortable performers, our vocal chords aren’t cut out for singing in nasty weather.

“It's just the science of how our bodies work. Their voice is their instrument,” says Prather. “Doesn’t mean you cannot sing in cold temperatures, but staying warm and being warm, that can be a challenge.” Cold temperatures can cause vocal cords to tense up, leading to reduced flexibility and range. This could make it difficult for singers to hit their typical range, and they’d probably end up sounding pretty different from what you’d expect from them. 

Live performances are difficult whether you're actually singing or not.

Performing live at a parade is not as simple as it may seem. The parade is obviously held outdoors, introducing countless variables to plan around, and recreating the studio-quality sound artists are known for is nearly impossible. Plus, a performance is much more than just singing — performers are expected to move around their floats and put on a show that is entertaining for both in-person attendees and watchers at home.

As Leon puts it, "Performers are performers in multiple ways: They sing, they dance, they do things with the crowd — there's more in their tool belt than just the music." Lip-syncing ensures that what the audience hears is a polished performance, despite how much the singer is moving around (or what cute little creatures are bouncing around the float beside them.)

A singer's voice can change drastically over the years.

As singers grow older, their vocal cords can lose some elasticity, range, and power. “Voices change, notes that you were able to hit, you can’t hit anymore,” Smith explains. “That’s why usually on tour, most artists never sing their songs in the original keys.” When older, legacy acts are booked for the nostalgia factor, they are often singing songs that came out decades ago.

The idea that they'd be able to sing a song in the same key, and hit notes they may not have hit in years, is a big assumption. It's definitely a challenge to replicate the exact tone and quality of a song recorded in the prime of a singer's career. Most people watching from the crowd or at home hope to hear classic songs as they remember them, not a butchered version just for the sake of it being "live."

Getting power to the floats is a challenge in itself. 

Each float in the parade is not only a visual spectacle but also a mobile stage. Performances require significant power to operate sound systems, lights, and other electronic features. Supplying consistent, reliable power to each float is a logistical feat, given the parade's route through New York City's streets.

Generators and battery systems must be carefully managed to ensure they can support performance devices throughout the event. By using pre-recorded audio, the need for complex audio gear is minimized, reducing logistical hurdles and allowing organizers to focus on other elements of the parade.

New York’s airwaves are as congested as their streets.

Just as people compete for cabs or rideshares within New York's streets, their devices fight for wireless signals. Reliable wireless transmission for mics and in-ear devices is challenging due to the sheer volume of frequencies in use. With so many wireless devices competing for bandwidth, there's a huge risk of interference and dropouts.

“The whole Times Square area is a frequency death trap,” says Smith from experience, who often coordinates performances in the New York area. He notes that live event producers must also be cognizant of which frequencies are clear for use by using an online frequency finder.

Additionally, the FCC can often take over frequencies for whatever they deem important, leaving less bandwidth for live performances. Large-scale events like the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade have to reserve frequencies ahead of time with the FCC to ensure their connection will be uninterrupted. Even so, it's never a sure thing that a singer won't have their earpiece drop out, which could be a nightmare during a live performance.

The parade has an unforgiving schedule.

The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade operates on a strict schedule, with each segment allotted a precise time frame. Any delay, even by a few minutes, can disrupt the entire broadcast flow, affecting not just the performers but also the live TV audience. “It's almost the equivalent of a moving Broadway show,” Smith says. “Where you have a stage manager, she or he is on a headset. You have the hosts who are broadcasting from wherever they're broadcasting from … There's always someone in your ear saying, ‘OK, you guys need to stall.’”

While there's always a built-in delay for mishaps, lip-syncing helps maintain a mostly tight schedule. It ensures that performances start and end exactly as planned, aiding the transition between acts, floats, and segments without hiccups. This predictability is crucial for coordinating live TV broadcasts and keeping the day's events running smoothly. "It's a long, laborious production, just to make sure that you have all the pieces in place," says Smith.

It’s risky for both the performers and organizers.

Live performances come with a ton of potential complications that neither performers nor organizers can afford during such a high-profile event. These risks include sudden weather changes affecting vocal cords, malfunctioning equipment, and the unpredictable environment of NYC streets, all of which can jeopardize the quality of the performance. 

“My opinion is I'd rather know that everything's going to work,” Prather says. “It's logistically a lot to consider because everyone's got a standard for what quality is for them, and no one wants to go backwards on that just because it's a parade.” Lip-syncing minimizes the many contingencies, so performers can focus on what really matters — engaging the audience through their presence and energy, not stressing about live audio pitfalls.

If all of this bums you out, you’ll be happy to know that the marching bands all perform live, despite numb fingers. Bravo, to all the band geeks out there. 👏

Attention audiophiles: Check out Five Things You Should Know About Immersive Audio on AVIXA TV!

Header image credit: Getty / Michael Loccisano