Paula Abdul’s career may span decades and include everything from being a singer to a dancer and even a former American Idol judge, but on Thursday, she marked a new first. As crowds gathered in New York City Thursday morning, Abdul gave her first Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade performance, eliciting plenty of responses online.
Donning a gold sequin jumpsuit, Abdul marked the annual holiday festivities with a performance of her hit single “Straight Up,” her breakthrough song from her 1988 debut studio album, Forever Your Girl. The singer and choreographer was joined by the St. John’s dance team for the performance, and she certainly gave viewers a show when she put her own dance moves on full display in front of a glitter-covered turkey.
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The big show on Thursday came after Abdul was spotted rehearsing for the 96th Annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade earlier in the week. According to the Daily Mail, the 60-year-old performer was spotted in the Big Apple wearing clinging leggings over dark pantyhose and dance shoes as she practiced with her fellow backup dancers, at one point even being lifted into the air. Ahead of the parade, Abdul tweeted, “Getting ready for the [Macy’s] Thanksgiving Day Parade….Are you READY?! 2 more days!!!!”
However, while Abdul certainly put in the time and effort to ensure a flawless performance, not everyone was impressed. As viewers tuned in Thursday for the annual event, Abdul’s performance sparked plenty of mixed reactions. Keep scrolling to see what people had to say.
‘Greatest parade performances of all time’
“I’m sorry but Paula Abdul just delivered one of the greatest parade performances of all time,” declared one viewer. “Starting with a tap break on the Jennie-O float?!? C’mon now!”
‘Insane’
“I don’t care if Paula Abdul was autotuned or if her tap dancing wasn’t perfect; I am f’in impressed that this woman is performing in the Thanksgiving Parade while I’m watching from home in my pjs,” tweeted one person. “You go Paula!!!!”
Viewers dub parade ‘best annual spectacle’
“I love the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade because it’s such an incredible mashup every float. Where else do you see Paula Abdul lip synching to ‘Straight Up’ while dancing as Flavor Flav hypes her up in the crowd all while promoting Jennie-O turkeys,” wrote somebody else.
Lip Syncing
“Paula Abdul’s lip sync breaking was so funny like she was just dancing and mouthing words and everyone was like,” wrote another person. “Then her auto tune broke and started sounding robotic goodnight that’s so embarrassing.”
‘Lip-synched tap dancing’
“They really tried to fake us out like paula abdul was actually tap dancing in this parade,” added somebody else.
Elder Abuse
“Let’s not do too much on Paula Abdul,” one fan defended Abdul. “She’s 60 years old giving you choreography, while pop girls a third her age can barely do a two-count.”
Celebs in the audience
“Flavor Flav jamming to Paula Abdul from the audience of the Macy’s parade is one of those things that would have been hard to predict in 1992,” one person reacted.
