Fans Make Bold Declaration About Kelly Clarkson After Her In-Ear Monitors Go Out

NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - OCTOBER 03: Kelly Clarkson performs onstage for The Final Nashville Show - A Tribute To Ronnie Milsap at Bridgestone Arena on October 03, 2023 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images)

Things could have taken a turn for the worse for Kelly Clarkson when her live monitors went out during a May 11 concert in Atlantic City—providing her with her own version of the Errors Tour—but the OG American Idol winner didn't skip a beat.

In a video clip showing her performance of "Since You Been Gone" uploaded to TikTok by the account Ute-Christin Photography, the talk show host can be seen with her hand pressed against her left ear, presumably fiddling with an in-ear monitor as, seconds later, she shouts, "Come on! Maybe the floor monitors? Just, like, anything at all."

An artist's in-ear monitors are custom-fit to them and offer a live feed of their own vocals, often along with a click track, so that the singer can stay on time and pitch. They also cancel out the background noise of the crowd.

Before the creation of in-ear monitors, artists relied on floor monitors, which are just large speakers on the stage facing the musicians that loudly pipe their vocals toward them. They can still be used today as backups or for artists who elect not to use in-ears.

With neither working, Clarkson, 42, likely couldn't hear much of anything while performing, with even her own voice drowned out by the combination of the screaming crowd and the volume of her band.

She let out an anxious giggle in the middle of the lyric, "And all you'd ever hear me say, is how I picture me with you," letting slip an "Oh no!" before continuing, "Cause all you'd ever hear me—floor monitors!" in one last bid for help before absolutely crushing the chorus, anyway.

By the end, at least one of her feeds seemed to resume, as she threw a "thank you" in between the words before letting out a relieved laugh, adding, "Oh my god!"

Fans were in awe of her talent, though not particularly surprised by the "grace" or ease with which "she handled it like a pro."

"She's operating on pure muscle memory 🔥🔥🔥," one fan observed, while another boldly declared, "She is truly THE American Idol!"

"She is so disgustingly talented it is incredible," another wrote. "I hope she knows what a treasure she is."

There's little Clarkson can do that doesn't impress us—or everyone else—although she came close with a recent Metallica cover, ruffling the feathers of a select few metalheads.

Next: Fans Say Kelly Clarkson ‘Kelly Clarksoned Her Own Song’ With New Performance of Early Hit