A planned performance by James Taylor on the first day of the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago was scrapped as organizers grappled with scheduling problems that pushed President Joe Biden‘s speech outside primetime.
“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. 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,” convention officials told The Hollywood Reporter.
Taylor was set to take the stage during the 9 p.m. CDT block, according to an earlier DNC schedule of events, with the singer-songwriter featuring in a slot between First Lady of the United States Dr. Jill Biden’s speech and Ashley Biden’s introduction of her father. President Biden didn’t take the stage until after 10:30 p.m CDT.
Earlier on Monday, several social media posts captured Taylor rehearsing inside Chicago’s United Center.
Despite skipping Taylor’s performance, the first day of the DNC did feature sets from Mickey Guyton and Jason Isbell.
