Politics & Government

Here's who performed (and who got bumped) on the first night of the DNC

By Stephen Thompson

Published August 19, 2024 at 11:55 PM CDT

US singer Mickey Guyton performs on the first day of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Illinois.

The NPR Network will be reporting live from Chicago throughout the week bringing you the latest on the Democratic National Convention.

Celebrities and musicians often pop up at political conventions, and this week's Democratic National Convention is no different. Though James Taylor's performance was bumped for time, two musicians punctuated the event's opening night with songs that helped hammer home the night's themes.

Monday evening's first celebrity musical guest, country singer Mickey Guyton, sang her 2021 song "All American" to a rousing response. The track, from Guyton's debut album Remember Her Name, is a fairly straightforward, here's-a-list-of-things-I-like country song — "We're the stars in the Texas sky / And the jukebox vinyl / We're the New York City lights / And a hotel bible" — that fit tidily into a night meant to project national and party-wide unity, as Guyton sang, "Ain't we all all-American?"

Guyton, a four-time Grammy nominee, has been at the vanguard of a breakthrough for Black artists in country music — one that produced chart-topping country hits for both Beyoncé and Shaboozey in 2024.

WATCH: Mickey Guyton's Tiny Desk (Home) Concert

Later in the night, Guyton made way for another country-adjacent artist in Jason Isbell, an Alabama native who first made his name as a member of The Drive-By Truckers.

Clad in a sharp tuxedo — and making a point to shout out the convention's Alabama delegation — Isbell sang the title track to his fifth solo album, 2015's Something More Than Free. A song about striving for more than mere survival, the song expresses a willingness to put in necessary labor: "I don't think on why I'm here or where it hurts / I'm just lucky to have the work," he sang, adding, "Sunday morning I'm too tired to go to church / But I thank God for the work."

WATCH: Jason Isbell's Tiny Desk Concert

Both performances provided a sober counterpoint to the most prominent musician to take the stage at last month's Republican National Convention: Kid Rock, who performed the rap-rock anthem "American Bad Ass" on the event's final night.

US musician James Taylor performs a sound check on the first day of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Illinois. Taylor was bumped from the program due to time constraints.

Veteran singer-songwriter James Taylor, who was slated to perform, got bumped for time as the night ran long. We'll never know for certain whether he would have matched Kid Rock's energy.