James Taylor's DNC No-Show: A Basement-Dweller's Rant

Oh, the drama! The acclaimed singer-songwriter James Taylor was supposed to grace the opening night of the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. I mean, who doesn't love a good political sing-along, right? Taylor was set to share the stage with country star Mickey Guyton and Americana singer Jason Isbell. Big names, I guess, if you're into that sort of thing.

But while Guyton and Isbell did their thing, Taylor was a no-show. Typical celeb behavior, am I right? Can't even commit to a performance.

Taylor was scheduled for the 9 p.m. slot, right after the first lady Jill Biden and her daughter Ashley's heartwarming speech introducing President Joe Biden. Oh, the feels.

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Where was James Taylor at the DNC?

DNC officials gave some lame excuse about "schedule delays" and "raucous applause." Yeah, right. They just couldn't handle the Taylor magic, I bet.

"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 read, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, part of the USA TODAY Network. Blah, blah, blah.

Taylor was spotted earlier in the day, strumming his guitar and rehearsing "You've Got a Friend." Proof here.

James Taylor Apologizes (Sorta)

In an Instagram post Tuesday, Taylor tried to smooth things over.

"We had a great rehearsal with @RickeyMinor and terrific singers, @KenyaHathaway and Mathew Johnson before the event," Taylor 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. Maybe the organizers couldn't anticipate the wild response from the floor of the United Center…"

Yeah, because it's totally the organizers' fault. Couldn't they just, you know, cut someone else's speech short?

Taylor's publicist Allison Elbl told USA TODAY there are "no plans to reschedule." Shocking.

"Anyway, sorry to disappoint," Taylor concluded. "But a great and inspirational, quintessentially American moment. We were honored to be there…"

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Day 2 of the DNC starts at 5:30 p.m. CT/6:30 p.m. ET. Big names include former President Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, and a bunch of other important people. Yawn.

Contributing: Karissa Waddick, USA TODAY; Hannah Kirby, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel