“It became clear, as the evening unfolded, that there wouldn’t be time for You’ve Got a Friend with cello and voices”: James Taylor apologises to fans after his performance is cut from DNC

James Taylor has apologised to his fans after his performance at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago was bumped on Monday night.

Taylor was scheduled to reprise his version of Carole King’s You’ve Got A Friend with cello and voices, a performance that should have wrapped up the evening. But the various speeches – including an emotional and memorable one by current president Joe Biden – meant that proceedings overran and Taylor’s spot had to be cut.

The 76-year-old singer-songwriter apologised to his fans on Twitter/ X yesterday. “It was exciting to see and hear so many of the speakers at the opening night of the Democratic convention here in Chicago,” he wrote. “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.”

He added: “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. We were honored to be there.”

James Taylor - You've Got a Friend (from Pull Over) - YouTube

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Before Biden’s speech, Hillary Clinton, First Lady Jill Biden and Ashley Biden gave speeches, as well as representatives from South Carolina, Maryland, Texas, New York, Kentucky, Georgia and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. There’s no word yet whether Taylor’s performance might be rescheduled for later on in the week.

Taylor was one of several performers scheduled to appear in support of Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign, including Mickey Guyton and Jason Isbell, who did make it on stage. White House correspondent Christian Datoc explained the reasons for Taylor’s cancellation later on Twitter/X.

“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,” he 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.”

Taylor shouldn’t feel too disappointed though. He’s something of a regular at these gatherings – this would have been the fifth straight Democratic National Convention he’s played. And if he’s still around in 2028, there’s every chance he’ll get an invitation to the next one.