Two months after James Taylor’s performance at the Democratic National Convention was cut-for-time, the singer took the stage Thursday at a Wilmington, North Carolina, rally led by vice presidential candidate Tim Walz.
Taylor — joined by wife Kim, son Henry, and Owen Young on cello — performed “You’ve Got a Friend” at the event. The singer was originally slated to perform the Carole King-penned song the song at the DNC, but his performance was nixed after the convention (allegedly due to excess applause) ran long.
Taylor spoke about the cancellation on social media, writing that he had a great rehearsal and that it was “exciting to see and hear so many of the speakers at the opening night of the Democratic convention here in Chicago.”
“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.”
Even after cutting elements to save time, President Biden‘s emotional speech was lengthy, reaching nearly an hour. “I made a lot of mistakes in my career, but I gave my best to you,” he said. “I was too young to be in the Senate because I wasn’t 30 yet, and I’m too old to stay as president, but I hope you know how grateful I am to all of you. I can honestly say that I’m more optimistic about the future than I was when I was elected as a 29-year-old senator.”
In 2022, Taylor went to the White House to celebrate Biden’s passing of the Inflation Reduction Act. Taylor performed “Fire and Rain,” while his wife Kim joined for “You Can Close Your Eyes” and “America the Beautiful.”
In recent weeks, Taylor has also lent his services to a Hurricane Helene benefit and paid tribute to Jimmy Buffett at the 2024 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony.