Last night (May 26), Blake Shelton made his performance debut at the American Music Awards. Later in the evening, his wife, Gwen Stefani, celebrated the 20th anniversary of her debut studio album, Love. Angel. Music. Baby., and her first AMA win with a medley of hits. However, unlike other performers, Shelton and Stefani didn’t actually perform live at the awards show. Instead, their performances were pre-recorded.
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Fans across the United States tuned in to watch the world’s biggest fan-voted awards show. Many country fans were ready to watch Shelton and Stefani rock the crowd. At the same time, many of the fans who were lucky enough to get tickets to the American Music Awards hoped to see the A-list couple take the stage. Unfortunately, they got almost the same show as the folks at home, according to some social media posts.
[RELATED: Blake Shelton Makes His Debut AMAs Performance with “Stay Country or Die Tryin’”]
Was Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani’s Performance Pre-Recorded? Social Media Digs In
One user took to TikTok to share a video from the American Music Awards. The clip showed a big screen behind the stage playing the same Blake Shelton performance that was broadcast live during the awards show. However, the stage was empty. “When Blake Shelton is ‘performing’ at the AMA Awards but there is no Blake Shelton in sight,” they wrote.
“They’re gonna have to release a statement,” one fan commenter wrote, “this whole thing is bonkers.” Another chimed in saying, “Imagine paying for a ticket to watch at TV.”
Another user shared a video featuring Stefani’s performance. As with Shelton’s performance, the televised clip played on the big screen while crew members prepared the stage for the next segment. The video gave the “live view” of “Gwen Stefani live at the AMAs.” The poster added, “We’ve been lied to.”
“Gwen Stefani performing live!… Somewhere else,” another commented.
Of course, Shelton and Stefani are two of the biggest stars in music, regardless of genre. No one is pointing fingers at the couple. The fact that they found time to gift fans with a performance was a welcome sight. Instead, it’s the transparency from the AMAs—or rather, apparent lack thereof—that the internet has a gripe with.
Featured Image by Javier Vicencio/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock
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