James Taylor has released a statement after the acclaimed singer-songwriter' set on day one of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago was abruptly canceled shortly before he was scheduled to take the stage.
"It was exciting to see and hear so many of the speakers at the opening night of the Democratic convention here in Chicago," the "How Sweet it Is" singer wrote in a statement posted to X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. Taylor went on to say his set's rehearsal had gone on as scheduled.
"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," Taylor wrote. "Maybe the organizers couldn't anticipate the wild response from the floor of the United Center..."
"Anyway, sorry to disappoint. But a great and inspirational quintessentially American moment," Taylor's statement, titled "Chicago Convention," concluded. "We were honored to be there..."
Taylor was set to perform at the DNC Monday night, along with other musical guests Jason Isbell and Mickey Guyton, according to the DNC schedule.
Those performances were in addition to a list of more than two dozen scheduled speakers, including President Joe Biden, First Lady Dr. Jill Biden and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
Guyton was the first to take the stage and was slated to appear just before 7 p.m. following a speech from Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass. Isbell then performed, following a speech from reproductive rights activist and content creator Deja Foxx.
Taylor was set to take the stage later in the night, after a speech from First Lady Jill Biden but before Biden's daughter Ashley Biden introduced her father, President Joe Biden.
But as the evening went on, DNC officials released a statement regarding a change of plans.
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"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," the statement 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.”
The schedule changes resulted in Taylor's appearance getting skipped, along with speeches from Reps. Grace Meng and Debbie Wasserman-Schultz.
It wasn't immediately clear if Taylor, Meng or Wasserman-Schultz would be added back onto the DNC schedule in the coming days.
During a briefing with reporters Tuesday, DNC director Alex Hornbrook ducked a question about whether those who were canceled on night one would be rescheduled. He said only, "Our program team is working very hard right now to ensure that we can be on schedule" without providing further details.
As of Wednesday morning, DNC officials have not provided an update on whether or not Taylor's performance will be put back on the convention schedule.
The DNC in Chicago, taking place at the United Center and McCormick Place, began Aug. 19. Wednesday, Kamala Harris' running mate pick Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is expected to speak, with Harris slated to address the crowd Thursday, the fourth and final day of the convention.
