T O R O N T O

Massey Hall

01. Dezember

Yusuf/Cat Stevens overcomes anger over long lineup in triumphant return

Some time away from the spotlight does a man good.

Yusuf/Cat Stevens was the furthest thing from cocky during what might have been a greatest-hits victory lap.

Cat Stevens well worth the

(short-term and long-term) wait

TORONTO - The Peace Train ... Late Again is the name of Yusuf/Cat Stevens first North American tour in more than 35 years.

So it should have come as no surprise that the 66-year-old British singer-songwriter would launch his latest trek on this side of the pond about 45 minutes late at Massey Hall on Monday night as he waited for the sold-out crowd to slowly make its way into the building via a long lineup on a chilly night.

The hold up?

It was a paperless event that required patrons - those around me waited from two minutes to an hour and twenty minutes - to provide I.D. and their credit card before ushers ran off their tickets and then they were required to go through metal detectors.

When Stevens finally did kick off the show with The Wind, on a set made to look like the country stop of a train station complete with signs that said Ticket Office, Platform 1, and Toronto, the crowd lept to its feet and roared their approval.

Seems absence definitely made the heart grow fonder no matter how long some of the concert-goers had to wait outside to get in.

“Thirty-eight years is a long time!” yelled out one male fan early in the two-set, hour and 50 minute show divided by a 25 minute intermission.

“Doesn’t it just fly by?” countered Stevens, who last played Massey Hall in 1976.

Sounding strong in voice and welcoming in disposition, the grey haired and bearded musican wearing sunglasses and backed by a six piece band - all dressed in leather jackets, striped shirts and jeans - Stevens won over the crowd earlywith songs like The First Cut is the Deepest, Where Do The Children Play?, Bitter Blue, and covers of Edgar Winter’s Dying To Live, The Beatles’ All You Need Is Love and Curtis Mayfield’s People Get Ready.

“Ohhhh, The Beatles,” said Stevens of his fellow Brits. “Thank you Beatles.”

He alternated easily between acoustic and electric guitar and also played the piano.

But just as Stevens was getting going the intermission came followed by a more challenging hour-and-five-minute second set which featured both songs from his latest album in five years, the blues and R&B oriented Tell ‘Em I’m Gone, which came out in late October, and more classics from his beloved back catalogue like Oh Very Young, Wild World, Morning Has Broken, Peace Train, Father and Son and Moonshadow, a few of those from his 1970 landmark album Tea For the Tillerman.

“I’m starting to look like the Tillerman,” he joked. “I just realized this!”

Stevens kicked off the second set with Tell ‘Em I’m Gone songs Big Boss Man and Editing Room Floor, but really impressed with his drastic reworking of the old chesnut You Are My Sunshine, and his grittier encore version of Miles From Nowhere.

“All this love is great,” admitted Stevens, who retired from the music business following a conversion to the Islamic faith and name change in 1977 before his 2006 return with the album An Other Cup and his Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction earlier this year.

Turns out, all you need is love.​

[torontosun.com, 02. Dez. 2014]

P H I L A D E L P H I A

Tower Theatre

04. Dezember

Yusuf Islam FKA Cat Stevens learns from his mistakes. At the London Apollo a month ago at the start of the “Peace Train… Late Again” tour, Cat (which is what I”ll call him for this review) played a first set of hits, a second set of his new album, the blues based Tell ‘Em I’m Gone, and a handful of oldies to take us home. By the time the Peace Train arrived at Philadelphia’s Tower Theatre, Cat had cut five songs off the new one and reworked the entire set into a career spanning testament not to faith (his wife got more shout outs than Allah) but to melody.

This is what Cat does, he finds out. In 1977, after not waving but drowning in the Mediterranean he quit his position as sensitive singer songwriter superstar to fulfill a promise to God for saving him from drowning and has devoted his life to Islam ever since. In 1989 he was misquoted on the Ayatollah Khomeini’s Fatwa on novelist Salman Rushdie and was considered a cultural pariah for years. Post 9-11 he was denied entrance to the States, since rectified.

And in the 2000s there were small Cat eruptions, first a child’s album of songs, next Islamic verses, and finally in 2006 the excellent An Other Cup followed by the less successful Roadsinger and earlier this year an actual sighting at the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Induction at Barclay Center” where he performed “Father And Son”, “Wild World” and “Peace Train”. It was superb, a charming and controlled performance and not nearly enough.

So here we are in Philly because he couldn’t find a New York theatre willing to adhere to his no tickets policy. After waiting an hour to get in, and missing the first song of the evening despite a 45 minute delay in the concerts start, Cat was singing “you’re never walk alone and you’re forever texting on the phone” when I got to my seat, finally a full concert by a hugely popular songwriter for anybody 15 years old in 1972. “What’s a few minutes between friends” he cracked as people tried to get to their seats. Fair enough but let’s hope he has learnt another lesson.

With a full band behind him, Cat commanded the stage with an off handed self-confidence which had the audience jumping up and down like izitsos and a seriously great set list, the show highlighted everything we loved and a couple of things we don’t love about him. It was the picture of soft rock, it lacked the rigorous rhythmic discipline of rock or the blues. This became clear during a cover of Jimmy Reed’s “Big Boss Man”, an intense but unsatisfying version which pales into obscurity compared to Presley’s on That’s The Way It Is”. Cat can’t do anger, he can’t do sex (the girl is always sleeping beside him), he can’t rock, coming out of the same scene that brought us Graham Gouldman, he is great at pop rock and folk, piano ballads, a sort of spiritual yearning. It stops Cat from being one of the true greats, he has his limits.

But within those limits he is a uniquely gifted songwriter with a voice so sweet it seems to always have a certain sadness on it and a master tune guy. I came in to “Here Comes My Baby” followed by its thematic follow up “The First Cut Is The Deepest”. Standing before a gorgeous stage, a railroad station like it’s off the set of Oklahoma, Cat looked incredible for any age, slim, white beard, healthy and very into it. This was neither re arranged not phoned in, but impassioned channeling of the young Cat, he then threw in a new one before sitting behind the piano for “Sitting”, a great vocal which had the audience on their feet for the first but not the last time. You can’t fake pleasure and Cat was evidently pleased.

Still in the first set we got “Where Do The Children” before Cat performed the freedom train masterpiece “People Get Ready” a great meeting of man and song. The first set ended with maybe the most exulted song in his entire career, the stupendous “Harold And Maude” track “If You Want To Sing Out, Sing Out”. Of course this night was a nostalgia trip, it comes with the territory, but listening to this self-fulfilling prophecy of freedom and hope 40 years after the fact by the man who wrote it was like a remembrance of what you planned to do and what you did do: like Stevens we went on the road to find out.

The second set was a little iffier, starting with “Big Boss Man” it had its valleys here and there but the “Moonshadow” was for the ages, both “Trouble” and surprisingly enough “Oh Very Young” got huge responses and after an uncomfortably placed (three songs before the encore) “Peace Train” he dubbed us a wonderful crowd. “Another Saturday Night” had a re-written lyric –a little cheeky since it isn’t his song, because his wife didn’t want him singing about picking up girls, she’d rather he sang about being jobless apparently. The encore was “Sad Lisa” and “Miles From Nowhere”, two fine songs but the encore? So I bet in three months he will have ironed out the last wrinkle from the set, stuck “Car And The Dog Trap” back in, found a place for “Into White” and realized “Tea For The Tillerman” is the rightful last song of the evening.

Still, it was a great gift to see Cat performing his wonderful songs in person. He isn’t a Dylan or Lennon or Bruce, but he is just a tier behind them, and his career is the embodiment of freedom through discipline. If you want to do is become a man of God, become a man of God.

[rocknycliveandrecorded.com, 05. Dez. 2014]

Cat Stevens uplifting, moving in Philly

“What’s a few minutes between friends", Yusuf Islam/Cat Stevens said while touching on his 38-year touring hiatus during his two-hour set at the sold-out Tower Theater Thursday night. “But this time I had to wait for you.”

That was a reference to the necessary delay of Stevens first local performance since he headlined the Spectrum in 1976. The concert, which was slated to start at 8 p.m. was pushed back 45 minutes because some fans had to wait up to an hour due to the paperless entry, which required each patron to furnish ID and their credit card before being immediately ushered through metal detectors.

Baby boomers complained about waiting out in the cold but the London native beat Stubhub, which had zero tickets for sale. However, ticket brokers were able to work the system and sell tickets (which ranged from $59.50 to $175) for an inflated price. A disgruntled man at will call displayed paperwork, which proved that he paid $1,200 for a pair of tickets from a secondary market.

However, there was no ill will when Stevens walked on to to a stage, which resembled an old country train station with signs that said “Platform 1” and “Philadelphia.”

Stevens kicked off the long-awaited event with “The Wind.” He was in strong voice and he was in a great mood while engaging the crowd.

“My father came to Philadelphia before London before meeting my mother,” Stevens, 66, said. “I love Philadelphia.”  

It's easy to forget how many beautiful, moving songs Stevens penned by the time he was only 27. “Wild World,” “Oh Very Young” and “Father and Son” were just some of the gentle and gorgeous songs he delivered in a voice that was a tad huskier than it was during his salad days.

The gray haired, bearded Stevens, who retired from the music industry in 1977 after converting to Islam before returning in 2006, alternated between electric and acoustic guitar and piano, while backed by a crack six-piece unit clad in striped shirts and a leather jacket.

The concert wasn’t just about the hits. Stevens, who looked fit in his leather jacket and blue jeans, impressed with cuts from “Tell ‘Em I’m Gone,” his bluesy album, which dropped in October. “Big Boss Man,” a Jimmy Reed cover, crackled with energy and his version of the old chestnut “You Are My Sunshine” was completely rearranged as a bluesy romp. A relatively reverent version of Curtis Mayfield’s “People Get Ready” fit with the train theme.

But the highlight of the evening were Steven’s songs -- nobody writes like the iconic songsmith, who was inducted into the Rock and Roll of Fame in April. His tunes are still relevant, some more than ever. When Stevens rendered “Where Do the Children Play,” in which he questions the value of technology, the 1970 number could have been written about contemporary kids, who are obsessed with gadgets.

It was an uplifting event, which smacked of a spiritual experience.

[mcall.com, 05. Dez. 2014]

B O S T O N

Wang Theatre

07. Dezember

Last Best Show:

Yusuf/Cat Stevens at the Wang

Yusuf, formerly Cat Stevens,

steers ‘Peace Train’ to Wang

Diehard music fans love to make lists. Invariably, one of those is a bucket list of artists they hope to see in concert.

Given that Yusuf Islam, the British artist formerly known as Cat Stevens, hasn’t toured the United States since 1976, it’s safe to say that a healthy percentage of the ecstatic crowd packed into the Citi Wang Theatre Sunday night was finally able to put a nice big check mark next to the name of the newly minted Rock and Roll Hall of Famer.

That the two-hour performance went, sometimes rhapsodically, past the mere idea of a check mark, that Yusuf (as he is known professionally) and his supremely gifted band transcended the perfunctory to reach something approaching the sacred on several occasions, made his return to the stage that much more uplifting. That also helped to mitigate the serious frustrations of a long entry line outside in the cold, created by his strict scalper-thwarting and security measures, including metal detectors.

In keeping with the tour’s winking title — “Peace Train . . . Late Again!” — Yusuf’s theatrical set filled the Wang’s proscenium with a dilapidated train depot, with a “Boston” signpost. Yusuf disembarked with songs from the past — both his own and several elegantly executed covers — but also gave the impression that the journey would continue on to the next stop with tunes from his new, Rick Rubin-produced album, “Tell ’Em I’m Gone.”

The crowd cheered it all, from the familiar hits — the joyful ditty “If You Want to Sing Out, Sing Out,” the winsome “Oh Very Young,” the cautionary crash of “Wild World” — to the new tracks, including the blistering guitar jam “Editing Floor Blues.” He also borrowed old songs and Cat-ified them, including a shockingly muscular version of “You Are My Sunshine” — inflamed by the fleet fretwork of guitarist Matt Sweeney — and a contemplative rendition of Edgar Winter’s almost painfully melodic “Dying to Live.”

While Yusuf’s scarcity was surely a factor in the room’s excitement level, he and his sextet also sounded terrific, coupling the singer-songwriter’s warm voice, undimmed by years or by time away from the stage, with their collective enthusiasm. The drummer in particular appeared to be having the time of his life, keeping the beat and singing along as the “Peace Train” finally rolled into the station.

Time is growing short, so hopefully Yusuf won’t wait so long to return.

[bostonglobe.com, 09. Dez. 2014]

The Yusuf/Cat Stevens Peace Train

Pulls Into Boston

A frigid and blustery Boston night was braved by a sold out crowd, many who had waited 38 years for Cat Stevens’ (now known as Yusuf) return to the performing stage. In support of his 2014 studio LP Tell Em I’m Gone, Yusuf is currently playing a limited number of engagements across the US. His second appearance of six dates in the states took place in Boston on Dec. 7, exceeding any and all expectations for the talented and sometimes controversial artist.

The intimate and ornate Wang Theatre was the setting for a two-set, 105 minute performance composed of Steven’s most beloved classics as well as samples of Yusuf’s contemporary dusty desert blues compositions. The tour moniker, Peace Train…Late Again was reflected in the stage set, which was constructed of a broken down train station that changed mood and vibe based on the song performed.

The concert illustrated the elder Yusuf as an artist willing to reveal and explore all aspects of the Cat Stevens catalog that made him famous, in addition to the expanding song list of current Yusuf compositions. The first hour-long set of the concert settled into mellow dual acoustic guitar groove opening with ‘The Wind’, the same number that opened Cat Steven’s last US tour in 1976. Similarly to 1976, long time Yusuf friend and musical colleague Alun Davies was included on acoustic guitar. In addition to Davies, Yusuf was joined by keyboardist Pete Adams, bassist Stefan Fuhr, Drummer Kwame Yeboah and additional guitarists Matt Sweeney who sat in on tracks from the new LP and Eric Appopoulay.

The first half of the concert drifted between familiarity and discovery with Cat Stevens classic tracks and deep cuts intermingled with Yusuf’s poignant new material. Regardless of the composition, the songs and stories are all developed from the same earth spring of inspiration, the musical and spiritual journey of Cat Stevens. Yusuf reclaimed his early hit ‘The First Cut Is the Deepest’ for his own in a sing along performance featured early in the show. Highlights of the opening set included a rousing reading of Catch Bull at Four’s ‘Sitting’ that rivaled the original reading, a rare and floral ‘All Kinds of Roses’ off of 2009’s Roadsinger and an always relevant reading of ‘Where Do the Children Play’ that received rapturous applause and soulful accompaniment from the crowd.

Yusuf’s voice was a perfectly preserved specimen for the duration of the evening. It’s strength somewhat diminished by time, but its resonance and emotion deepening with every performance. A deft pairing of the old and the new displaying this current vocal approach found Cat Stevens first single ‘I Love My Dog’ given a jazzy reading before followed with 2014’s ‘Cat and the Dog Trap’, in my opinion the most beautiful song both lyrically and instrumentally on the new LP.

The opening set then closed with a collaborative ‘If You Want To Sing Out’ from the 1971 Harold and Maude soundtrack that left the crowd smiling and highly anticipating the second set.

The second set began dark and the train station turned twilight and dim. The Peace Train was drawing near, the band was armed with electric instruments and break into a funky and strident cover of ‘Big Boss Man’ that enunciated the tastefulness and collaborative interest displayed by Yusuf’s touring band.

Yusuf then introduced ‘Eddie Vedder’s favorite song’ before playing an intimate and definitive version of ‘Trouble” off of 1970’s Mona Bone Jakon, an inspired choice. ‘Oh Very Young’ followed and received a standing ovation after a flawless rendition illustrating Yusuf’s acceptance of his Cat Stevens legacy as well as the joy it brings him by playing the music. The set now revealed the big songs, the songs that cemented Yusuf’s career then and now. ‘Moonshadow’ was played by the full band in a triumphant arrangement, Wild World, ‘Father and Son’ and the long-awaited ‘Peace Train’ were played with infectious joy and virtuosity. Intermingled with these well-known and sought after classics were the impressive tracks off of the new LP including a soaring reading of Edgar Winter’s ‘Dying to Live’ and the gritty ‘Editing Floor Blues’.

The second half of the performance gave everyone exactly what they had come to see, whether a child of the 60’s, an aging hippy, or a recent passenger on the ‘Peace Train’, there was a song or a message for everyone. Each of the Cat Stevens songs performed felt fresh, their arrangements rediscovered, their melodic nuances fully explored. A celebratory reunion of an artist with his long-lost musical children was taking place on the performing stage.

The hardcore Cat fans were sated throughout the set, first when Yusuf amazingly quoted multiple movements from the 1973 opus ‘The Foreigner Suite’ and then again with the encore choice of ‘Sad Lisa’ which brought the house down in its unique spot as a closing encore number. The set first concluded with the aforementioned Cat Stevens signature readings of ‘Peace Train’ and ‘Father and Son’, songs that defined an era as well as inspiring the beliefs and relationships that developed during the two songs popularity.

Then for the encore Yusuf and band returned with a welcome appearance of ‘Miles from Nowhere’ which made for a Tea for the Tillerman double encore when followed by the spooky beautiful piano based ‘Sad Lisa’. Again, Yusuf sang with precision and grace, offering a broad smile after a slight vocal hiccup during ‘Miles from Nowhere’. The small miscue illustrated a fantastic moment, revealing Yusuf’s new musical joy, and his sincere appreciation for his fans and followers who had waited so long to see him again.

We can only hope that the success and musical developments that have occurred on Yusuf/Cat Stevens’ recent Peace Train…Late Again tour are enough to keep him performing and creating into the near future. The performance at the Wang Center on Dec. 7, 2014 was worth the wait, it offered inspired lyrical stories, instrumental magic and a message of peace by an artist who has rediscovered his place in the world of popular music.

[upstatelive.com, 15. Dez. 2014]

C H I C A G O

Chicago Theatre

09. Dezember

Yusuf Islam at the Chicago Theatre:

Cat Stevens songs and more

In his former incarnation as Cat Stevens, Yusuf Islam had a reputation

as a bit of a self-serious fellow, the young man with the furrowed brow contemplating eternal mysteries while finger-picking an acoustic guitar.

But before he became an earnest troubadour, the teenage Stevens caused a stir in ‘60s Swinging London with his pop songwriting prowess, notably delivering tunes such as the Tremeloes’ “Here Comes My Baby” and “The First Cut is the Deepest,” a hit single for P.P. Arnold in ’67 and later Rod Stewart and Sheryl Crow.

His place on that scene, complete with his love of R&B and blues, made a welcome appearance at Islam’s reverentially received concert Tuesday at the sold-out Chicago Theatre. The show was something of an event for Yusuf/Cat fans, who have been waiting more than 30 years for a U.S. tour. The singer famously dropped out of the music business in the late ‘70s to fully immerse himself in his spiritual studies, and left behind a legacy of eight straight million-selling albums and a dozen hit singles.

Of course, the 66-year-old singer-songwriter showed up Tuesday as well, in a grayer, more avuncular and affable incarnation. That’s the guy most of the fans paid to see, the one who launched countless guitar-strumming coffeehouse imitators in the ‘70s alongside such similarly inclined craftsmen as James Taylor, Carole King, Jackson Browne and Jim Croce. Shifting between guitar and piano, Islam reprised the songs that made him such an appealing figure to the more contemplative wing of the counter-culture.

His gentle folk songs gave off a mystical air, thinly disguising a discontent with the shortcomings of the material world, the disconnect between generations, and the journey between stations evoked by the fake old-timey train platform that served as the stage. The 29-song two-hour show, split by a half-hour break, opened with “The Wind,” one of several songs loosely based on the wandering minstrel’s spiritual quest. He was “Miles from Nowhere” but taking his time, an appealing philosophy for anyone trying to escape the mundane.

In a life where innocence is lost and the planet is becoming a wasteland, Islam romanticized childhood as a lost refugee (“Where do the Children Play,” [Remember the Days of the] Old Schoolyard,” “Oh Very Young”). To grow up and leave home was cause for tears in the generational struggle of “Father and Son” and the anxiety of “Wild World.” On many of these vintage tunes, Stevens kept his voice a conversational purr as though trying not to wake the guests in the spare bedroom. There was also a ponderous reminder that he once dabbled in progressive rock (an excerpt from “Foreigner Suite”), in sharp contrast to the simple elegance and indelible melodies of “Morning Has Broken” and “Moonshadow.”

Islam honored not only a period in his life that made him a reluctant pop star, but also the era that preceded it, and the one he’s living in now. Since he’s returned to recording and performing in recent years, he’s released three increasingly feisty albums. His most recent songs do some venting and finger-pointing (“Editing Floor Blues,” “I was Raised in Babylon”) edged in blues-steeped rock arrangements. He turned “You are My Sunshine” into a trancy blues with a North African camel-walking beat, and brought a bounce to Leadbelly’s “Take This Hammer.”

Best of all was a fierce cover of Procol Harum’s “The Devil Came from Kansas,” with enthusiastic assists from two younger acolytes, vocalist Will Oldham (aka Bonnie “Prince” Billy) and guitarist Matt Sweeney. The singer also dropped in a tongue-in-cheek line about cellphones into “Here Comes My Baby,” and shook an appreciative fist at his band after a snappy take on Jimmy Reed’s “Big Boss Man.” The Cat Stevens of the ‘70s remains an alluring pop figure for addressing the big questions with somber purpose. But at the Chicago Theatre, it sure looked like it actually might be more fun to be Yusuf Islam right now.

[chicagotribune.com, 10. Dez. 2014]

SAN FRANCISCO

Masonic Auditorium

12. Dezember

Yusuf/Cat Stevens triumphs in

long-awaited return

People had waited a long time for this.

So it was really no surprise when the crowd erupted with such joy - and relief - the moment the artist formerly known as Cat Stevens took the stage on Friday at the Masonic in San Francisco. It was like a dream come true for these fans, many of whom probably thought this day might never come.

It had been nearly 40 years since the fabled folk-rock artist had embarked on his last North American tour. He gave up mainstream pop music after 1978's "Back to Earth," converting to the Islamic religion and changing his name to Yusef Islam.

Yet, he bounced back into the spotlight in a big way in 2014. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in April and then released his first album in five years - the Rick Rubin-produced "Tell 'Em I'm Gone" - in October. Now, he's hit the road with his Peace Train ... Late Again tour, which has proved to be arguably the season's top ticket.

The singer-songwriter - who now goes by the name Yusef/Cat Stevens onstage - did his best to make up for lost time during this show. He led his five-piece band through two sets and 28 songs, which included most of his top hits as well as several "Tell 'Em I'm Gone" cuts.

The stage was designed to look like an old train station, with a sign posted to inform everyone we'd reached the "San Francisco" stop. It looked like something straight out of a Garrison Keillor production.

The biggest concern going into the show, of course, was the star's voice. It's forever frozen in our memories in mint condition, thanks to such tunes as "Father and Son," "Moonshadow" and "Wild World." But those recordings were made in the early '70s. How would Yusef/Cat Stevens sound more than four decades later?

It turns out that the 66-year-old singer still sounds terrific. His vocals are a bit huskier than before - and weaken somewhat as the night progresses - yet he frequently hits classic Cat heights.

Some of his songs sounded a bit dated - see "The First Cut Is the Deepest" and "If You Want to Sing Out, Sing Out" - yet most came across absolutely timeless. He'd do his best work on the reflective ballads, touching hearts and turning back the clock with "Oh Very Young," "Morning Has Broken" and, best of all, "Father and Son."

Yusef/Cat Stevens also performed a number of cover songs, many of which he recorded on "Tell 'Em I'm Gone." He had the crowd singing along to The Beatles' "All You Need Is Love," built upon the evening's train theme with Curtis Mayfield's "People Get Ready" and floored fans with an epic rendition of the Nina Simone staple "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood," which many know from The Animals hit version.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer would finally take the capacity crowd for a ride on the "Peace Train" during the encore, before departing the San Francisco station for his next stop down the line. He left his fans happy, content and in total agreement on one thing:

Yusef/Cat Stevens will hopefully be back again soon.

[santacruzsentinel.com, 13. Dez. 2014]

Cat Stevens rains over The Masonic:

Mighty blows ‘The Wind’

For the euphoric multitudes that made the pilgrimage to hear Yusuf/Cat Stevens at San Francisco’s Masonic Auditorium on Dec. 12, it wasn’t about the 28-song career retrospective or how flawlessly he performed them. It was simply that he was there to play them. The legions of pensive souls that have been heartened, taught and inspired by Stevens’ music over the last five decades gathered together to welcome home the prodigal tunesmith, their once-thought-lost brother.

For those thousands of ever-searching spirits, there was really no other ballad that Stevens and long-time backup guitarist Alun Davies could begin the long-hoped-for recital with than the introspective “The Wind” – “I listen to the wind, to the wind of my soul / Where I’ll end up, well I think, only God really knows.” Though some of the long-suffering fans roared their approval and sang along as the master songcrafter continued with “Don't Be Shy” (one of two underappreciated efforts from “Harold and Maude”) and “You Can Do (Whatever)” (from the “Jobs” soundtrack), most listened thoughtfully for fear that they’d miss a single nuanced note from the nectar-voiced roadsinger.

With an affecting pair of Stevens works made famous by others – “The First Cut Is the Deepest” (Rod Stewart) and “Here Comes My Baby” (The Tremeloes) – the legendary songwriter reminded us that “he who writes first, sings best.” That is until the iconic artist sang the first of his brilliant covers of other musical brothers, Curtis Mayfield’s stunning ode to glory, “People Get Ready.” For the music parched audience, Stevens’ soothing voice was an oasis of melody. But it wasn’t without moments of bittersweet uncertainty, as the long-time fans wavered between the pure joy at the musical purgatory’s end and the sadness at having missed four decades of glorious song.

Stevens obliged those that came craving refuge from the ills of the world, calming them with a trio of exceptional tunes – “Sad Lisa,” “Where Do the Children Play?” and “Miles From Nowhere” – from the “every song is an opus” music-shaper, “Tea For The Tillerman.” The resolute fera of tampering with already- flawless songs failed to deter bandmate Eric Appopoulay from adding his emotive classical fretwork to “Lisa” and luminous slide guitar to “Nowhere.” Gratefully, Appopoulay’s gifted slide work would rear its dazzling frethead later in the recital on crowd favorite “Oh Very Young” and the revelatory cut from “An Other Cup,” “Roadsinger.”

Stevens revealed a profound case of the blues with a trio of powerful covers from his most recent album, “Tell ‘Em I’m Gone” – Jimmy Reed’s iconic “Big Boss Man,” Edgar Winters’ mournful “Dying To Live” and Procol Harum’s timeless “The Devil Came From Kansas.” The reflective tunesmith’s bluesy turn on “You Are My Sunshine” no doubt had Jimmie Davis rolling over in his grave – with appreciative glee.

For any of the concertgoers that came to pause and reflect – the entire audience that is – the equally contemplative songwriter offered the lyrically profound, “Oh life is like a maze of doors and they all open from the side you're on” from “Sitting,” and cautionary, “But take your time, think a lot / Why, think of everything you've got / For you will still be here tomorrow, but your dreams may not” from the ageless masterpiece, “Father and Son.” And how else could the unyielding musical poet end the “lecture” on hope and peace than an encore with his enduring anthem, “Peace Train” – “Why must we go on hating, why can't we live in bliss?”

But while Stevens’ implicit message of universal harmony was evident to even the most casual of listeners throughout the remarkable performance, it was a song that he didn’t play, “Boy with a Moon & Star on His Head”, that may best describe his tacit message – “’I’ll tell you everything I’ve learned’ / And ‘love’ is all he said.”

[axs.com, 15. Dez. 2014]

Review: Yusef / Cat Stevens back in the bay

Fast forward 10 years after being denied entry to the United States when he was ludicrously placed on the No Fly List as a gift of the brainiacs in the Bush-Cheney administration (always vigilant in their efforts to keep the public safe from iconic musicians), the rechristened Yusuf Islam arrived on stage to a stirring ovation.

The singer/songwriter of so many enduring classics took to the stage sporting a graying beard and wearing glasses with a dark coat and jeans along with a five man backing band featuring guitarist Alun Davies, who also provided backing vocals while accompanying Stevens during his most prolific period from 1970 to 1977.

Introducing an uplifting tale about being able to accomplish anything you want, his recent composition “You Can Do (Whatever)” from last years motion picture biography of Steve Jobs after opening with the 1971 cut “The Wind,” Stevens elicited a strong reaction from the well known opening strains of “The First Cut Is the Deepest”, a song further popularized by both Rod Stewart and Sheryl Crow cover versions. Shortly after, the bouncy synth-pop hit “Remember the Days of the Old Schoolyard” from 1977′s “Izitso” served as the first of many reminders of just how prolific an artist Stevens continued to be just shortly before walking away from music.

As “Where Do the Children Play ?” continued the theme of romanticizing about the old days thru stories of hope, innocence and optimism, the backdrop to the stage started to come into play as other band members would move around and hang out in different areas, creating the appearance of passengers waiting at a dusty old train station, with an illuminated marquee on the platform announcing arrival in San Francisco. This created a perfect setting for Curtis Mayfield’s “People Get Ready” (“there’s a train a-coming”). A lively cover of The Beatles “All You Need Is Love” followed by “If You Want to Sing Out, Sing Out” had the crowd fully involved with most singing and clapping along to the final two songs prior to intermission.

Delivering a progressive cover of Jimmy Reed’s “Big Boss Man,” the first of five songs played from the fine new Rick Rubin-produced album “Tell ‘Em I’m Gone” to begin the second part of the show, Yusuf then introduced a memorable rendition of Nina Simone’s “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood,” a song most often associated with The Animals that he recorded for “An Other Cup,” his first album after resuming his career in 2006. A touching “Oh Very Young” continued the pattern of many short songs that seemed to end too early. Perhaps some were abbreviated to help accommodate such a long setlist, more likely they were reflective of a different era that catered to radio programmers looking to fill three minute slots. Either way we were left wanting more.

Moving over to the piano for the haunting “Last Love Song” from “Back to Earth,” the 1978 release that marked the beginning of a 28 year hiatus from the music world between studio albums, Yusuf next delivered a beautiful “Sitting” from “Catch Bull at Four” before returning to play guitar to on the newly covered Edgar Winter’s “Dying To Live” which queries “Why am I fighting to live if I’m just living to fight? Why am I trying to see when there ain’t nothing in sight? Why am I trying to give when no one gives me a try? Why am I dying to live if I’m just living to die?”

Sam Cooke’s timeless and playful “Another Saturday Night” had the crowd quickly bounce to their feet as the concert reached it’s zenith. “Moonshadow” emphatically proved that if anything, the long break from recording and touring probably preserved Stevens voice more than it harmed it. Next, the rollicking new Procol Harum cover “The Devil Came From Kansas” provided one of the evening’s most upbeat numbers before Peter Adams artistry on the keyboards continued to shine throughout the set closing “Wild World”.

Returning to the stage with a dedication of the bluesy “Gold Digger” to Nelson Mandela, the final song of the evening from the new album, Stevens brought everyone to their feet for good with the opening strains of “Peace Train” and it’s idealistic verse that asks “Now I’ve been crying lately, thinking about the world as it is, why must we go on hating, why can’t we live in bliss ?” Clearly a question as easily applicable to current times today as when it was first written in 1971 if ever there was one. “Morning Has Broken,” another top 10 hit in both the US and UK from “Teaser & The Firecat” brought the 29 song, hour-fifty minute set to a close, leaving one with the emotional and near impossible matter to address of what if the world hadn’t lost three full decades of songwriting from a talent this great ?

One can only speculate.

[martinezgazette.com, 16. Dez. 2014]

LOS ANGELES

Nokia Theatre

14. Dezember

Yusuf/Cat Stevens' 'Peace Train' tour

arrives in L.A.

The grousing from some fans claiming that Cat Stevens shouldn’t have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last year because his music was too subdued to qualify as “rock” ignored a more relevant point.

In his decade-plus run as a folk-influenced '70s pop star before exiting the music business in 1979 to raise a family and explore his conversion to Islam, the British singer-songwriter consistently examined a key aspect of rock’s fundamental mission: to throw off the shackles of previous generations' attitudes in the personal search for greater truth.

On the final stop of his first tour in 35 years Sunday night, the musician who now performs as Yusuf/Cat Stevens beamed with gratitude at the outpouring from a sold-out audience at the 7,100-capacity Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles. It was a reception that served as a loud reminder of how strongly his songs still resonate four decades later.

Most of his songs touched on a search of one kind or another: “Miles From Nowhere,” with its open-ended quest for meaning; “Wild World,” with its cautionary note to a loved one hellbent on seeking new experiences, and the anthemic “Peace Train.”

Indeed, he’s calling the new round of shows the Peace Train … Late Again Tour, a wry reference both to his long absence from the concert trail and to a still-unfulfilled wish expressed in that 1971 Top 10 hit:

I’ve been smiling lately

Dreaming about the world as one

And I believe it could be

Some day it’s going to come

“That train hasn’t arrived yet,” Yusuf gently told the crowd. Such a realization could lead to disillusionment, but instead he simply offered the suggestion that “In the meantime, we can sing about it.”

He did so for nearly 2½ hours, including a 25-minute intermission, on a stage set replicating an Old West train depot, reminiscent of the one in Sergio Leone’s “Once Upon a Time in the West.”

Yusuf also invoked the theme earlier in the evening with a rendition of Curtis Mayfield’s gospel-infused hit “People Get Ready,” which dovetailed musically with the raison d’etre of Yusuf’s new album, “Tell 'Em I’m Gone,” in which he indulges his early passion for American blues and R&B.

That sound also surfaced with a muscular reading of Jimmy Reed’s “Big Boss Man” — effectively deflecting any “too soft to rock” jabs — and a potent minor-key reworking of the classic “You Are My Sunshine.” 

Some of the new album's songs he included — notably “Gold Digger,” inspired by the South African miner’s strike of 1948 that gave birth to the African National Congress — are as rewarding as his '70s work.

For the most part, he remained faithful to meticulously arranged original versions of such cornerstone songs as “Father and Son,” “If You Want To Sing Out, Sing Out” (from Hal Ashby’s “Harold and Maude”), “Trouble” and “Moonshadow.” The soft-sandpaper edges of his baritone voice still carry the same reassurance they delivered 40 years ago.

But he and his six-piece band, which included his longtime fellow guitarist Alun Davies, also reinvented a couple of numbers. He shifted the tone of “Bitterblue” to make it rock less and think more, and modified the chord progression in the verses of “Morning Has Broken,” which departed (not entirely successfully) from Stevens' gorgeous original version, which was inspired by an early 20th century Christian hymn.

And he sheepishly explained, but stopped short of apologizing for, changing lyrics in Sam Cooke’s “Another Saturday Night,” noting that as a 66-year-old husband, father and grandfather, he could no longer in good conscience sing about “How I wish I had some chick to talk to,” which he revised to “How I wish I had someone to work for.”

It all seemed to work for the crowd, which consisted largely of fans who were alive during Stevens' heyday. The show brought out celebs as well, including Sean Penn and Ace Frehley of KISS. There also was a smattering of audience members in their teens and 20s, happily singing along.

“I really enjoyed this,” Yusuf said near the end of the show. “If I’d known I would enjoy it this much, I might not have stayed away so long.”

[latimes.com, 15. Dez. 2014]

Cat Stevens Wraps First U.S. Tour

in 35 Years

The singer's five-city trek is a journey through covers that influenced him early on in his career

The word "journey" was spoken multiple times during the final concert of Yusuf/Cat Stevens' brief U.S. tour, his first in 35 years. It was used as a metaphor and literally, Yusuf speaking both about his life, the lyrics of songs from the early 1970s and his two most recent albums. Without question, this tour indicates Yusuf/Stevens' interrupted journey with his fans is back on track and his power as a musician, singer and charmer undiminished.

A dilapidated train station provided a fitting backdrop — it is the Peace Train Tour, after all — for this 32-song evening at Los Angeles' Nokia Theatre. Many in the sold-out crowd of 7,000 had waited nearly four decades to board this train, and as standing ovations greeted album tracks such as "Where Do the Children Play," "Sad Lisa" and "Miles From Nowhere," it was clear few came to hear hits. The devotion is to the LP format, specifically his breakthrough LP, 1970's Tea for the Tillerman.

Backed by his bandmate from those heady days, guitarist Alun Davies, and four young musicians, the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer delivered one convincing performance after another, hewing close to recorded versions driven largely by his acoustic guitar sound, still richly broad yet intimate.

Even at 66, Stevens' voice remains full of the character that provided intellectual and libidinal stimulation 40 years ago; it's easy to forget or overlook that guitar-strumming thoughtful guys like Stevens, James Taylor and Dan Fogelberg provided the charms of Beck and Justin Timberlake in one package.

Unlike other acts who came to define the post-Beatles singer-songwriter movement of the early 1970s, the man who went by Cat Stevens disappeared from music, returning first in tabloid reports with the name of Yusuf and in 2009 with an album, Road Singer, that married the unique qualities of albums such as Tea for the Tillerman and Teaser and the Firecat with his modern station in life. His new album, Tell 'Em I'm Gone, on Sony Legacy, extends that milieu, albeit veering into blues structures, a first for the former pop star.

Without mentioning the existence of the new album — and the reason for this five-city tour — Yusuf/Stevens took listeners on a (what else?) journey through the album's covers that influenced him early on in his career: The blues of Jimmy Reed's "Big Boss Man"; the spirituality of Curtis Mayfield's "People Get Ready"; the out-of-character music of Edgar Winter and Procol Harum. He discreetly included two of the album's bluesy originals, "Editing Floor Blues" and "Gold Digger"; for whatever reason, he had more to say about his 2009 release Roadsinger.

Nostalgia may have been a key reason this tour sold out in minutes. It's Yusuf/Stevens' ability to deliver songs new and old without artifice that makes his journey one that need not end with this stop.

[hollywoodreporter.com, 15. Dez. 2015]