James Taylor comments after his performance on the first evening of the Democratic National Convention 2024 was cancelled at the last second.
The legendary entertainer was scheduled to perform his song “You’ve Got a Friend” during the event on Monday night (August 19) at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois.
James rehearsed for the performance and was due to go on stage towards the end of the evening, shortly before Joe Biden‘s speech. Unfortunately, there were delays and the performance was shortened due to time constraints.
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“It was exciting to see and hear so many speakers on the opening night of the Democratic Convention here in Chicago. And we had a great rehearsal before the event with Rickey Minor and the great singers Kenya Hathaway and Matthew Johnson,” James wrote in a statement on social media.
He continued: “Many friends reached out to wish us well: Kim, Owen Young and myself. But as the evening progressed, it became clear that we would not have time for our ‘You’ve Got a Friend’ with cello and vocals. Perhaps the organizers could not have anticipated the wild reaction from the United Center audience.”
“I’m sorry to disappoint you,” he concluded. “But it was a great and inspiring, all-American moment. It was an honor to be a part of it…”
The DNC also commented on the cancellation of the performance.
“Due to the thunderous applause that interrupted one speaker after another, we ultimately skipped portions of our program to ensure we got to President Biden as quickly as possible so he could speak directly to the American people,” a spokesman said. “We are proud of the electrifying atmosphere in our congressional hall and proud that our Congress is showcasing the broad and diverse coalition behind the Harris-Walz ticket on and offstage all week.”
