James Taylor Reacts After DNC Performance Was Cut for Time

James Taylor is speaking out after his performance on night one of the 2024 Democratic National Convention was canceled at the last second.

The legendary entertainer was set to perform his song “You’ve Got a Friend” during the event on Monday night (August 19) at the United Center in Chicago, Ill.

James did a rehearsal for the performance and was set to hit the stage near the end of the night, right before Joe Biden‘s speech. Unfortunately, the event was running late and the performance was cut for time.

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“It was exciting to see and hear so many of the speakers at the opening night of the Democratic convention here in Chicago. And we had a great rehearsal with Rickey Minor and terrific singers, Kenya Hathaway and Matthew Johnson before the event,” James wrote in a statement on social media.

He continued, “Lots of friends got in touch, wishing us well: Kim, Owen Young and me. But it became clear, as the evening unfolded, that there wouldn’t be time for our ‘You’ve Got a Friend’ with cello and voices. Maybe the organizers couldn’t anticipate the wild responds from the floor of the United Center.”

“Anyway, sorry to disappoint,” he concluded. “But a great and inspirational, quintessentially American moment. We were honored to be there…”

The DNC also commented on the performance being canceled.

“Because of the raucous applause interrupting speaker after speaker, we ultimately skipped elements of our program to ensure we could get to President Biden as quickly as possible so that he could speak directly to the American people,” a spokesperson said. “We are proud of the electric atmosphere in our convention hall and proud that our convention is showcasing the broad and diverse coalition behind the Harris-Walz ticket throughout the week on and off the stage.”