UPDATE: This article has been updated to reflect James Taylor’s planned performance being cut for time from Monday night’s program.
Jason Isbell and Mickey Guyton performed on day 1 of the Democratic National Convention at Chicago’s United Center on Monday night (Aug. 19) in support of presidential hopeful Kamala Harris, with both making their DNC debuts.
James Taylor was slated to perform as well, just before President Biden took the stage, but his set — which would have been his fifth straight convention performance — ended up being cut for time. DNC officials put out this statement early Tuesday (Aug. 20) about the schedule change: “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.”
There’s no word yet whether Taylor’s DNC performance might be rescheduled.
In an interview with CNN ahead of Monday’s performance, Guyton explained the importance of supporting Harris in her bid for the presidency. “For me, this is beyond a genre of music,” the country singer reflected. “This is about humanity. This is about the culture. This is about our country and I feel honored to be able to witness history.”
Watch Isbell and Guyton’s performances below:
Jason Isbell
Jason Isbell performs on the first day of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, on August 19, 2024.
ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images
Six-time Grammy-winning Americana singer/songwriter Jason Isbell took the stage to perform “Something More Than Free,” which is the title track from his 2015 album. The poignant song speaks to the working man’s dilemma of toiling so hard for an unclear reward. “My back is numb, my hands are freezing/ What I’m working for is something more than free.”
Mickey Guyton
Grammy-nominated country artist Mickey Guyton played her song “All American,” which she co-wrote with Victoria Banks for her 2021 album Remember Her Name. The unifying chorus was a perfect fit for the DNC: “Ain’t we all, ain’t we all all American?”
