After his Monday night (8.19) performance was eliminated from the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago, Illinois, James Taylor apologized to his fans via social media.
Originally scheduled to play his 1971 classic ‘You’ve Got a Friend’ during the political event’s opening night, while Mickey Guyton and Jason Isbell took to the stage, the pop icon was noticeably absent. And in his Tuesday (8.20) Instagram post, Taylor explained that his performance was cut due to a scheduling delay.
“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 @RickeyMinor and terrific singers, @KenyaHathaway and Mathew Johnson before the event.” “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,” wrote the 76-year old musician.
Adding that the organizers didn’t expect the “wild response” to the speakers, James added “Anyway, sorry to disappoint. But a great and inspirational, quintessentially American moment. We were honored to be there…”
In a statement, DNC officials acknowledged that timing issues had led to some aspects of the schedule being cut.
“Because of the raucous applause interrupting speaker after speaker, we ultimately skipped elements of our programme to ensure we could get to President Biden as quickly as possible so that he could speak directly to the American people,” they told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “We are proud of the electric atmosphere in our convention hall.”
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Author: Saul Goode
Photo: Jay Godwin – Public Domain