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Thread: Yusuf Islam (aka Cat Stevens) Tour!!

  1. #1
    Connoisseur of stuff. Obscured's Avatar
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    Yusuf Islam (aka Cat Stevens) Tour!!

    "Peace Train...Late Again Tour"

    Never thought this would happen. NYC tickets go on-sale Sept. 27. http://www.beacontheatre.com/events/...t-stevens.html

    Tue 11/04/14 London, United Kingdom Eventim Apollo
    Sun 11/09/14 Brussels, Belgium Forest National
    Tue 11/11/14 Assago, Italy Mediolanum Forum
    Thu 11/13/14 Vienna, Austria Wiener Stadthalle
    Sun 11/16/14 Paris, France Zenith Paris
    Thu 11/20/14 Berlin, Germany Tempodrom
    Sun 11/23/14 Hamburg, Germany Congress Center Hamburg
    Tue 11/25/14 Dusseldorf, Germany Mitsubishi Electric Halle

    Mon 12/01/14 Toronto, ON Massey Hall
    Thu 12/04/14 Boston, MA Citi Performing Arts Center
    Sun 12/07/14 New York, NY Beacon Theatre
    Tue 12/09/14 Chicago, IL Chicago Theatre
    Fri 12/12/14 San Francisco, CA Nob Hill Masonic Center
    Sun 12/14/14 Los Angeles, CA Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE

    WOW!! I am stoked.
    "Henry Cow always wanted to push itself, so sometimes we would write music that we couldn't actually play – I found that very encouraging." - Lindsay Cooper, 1998
    "I have nothing to do with Endless River. Phew! This is not rocket science people, get a grip." - Roger Waters, 2014
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  2. #2
    Member Digital_Man's Avatar
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    No Philly dates? What the hell.

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    Member rcarlberg's Avatar
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    Does he just play music these days, or is he preaching and singing religious songs too?

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    His last Australian concerts got pretty good reviews, for what it's worth.

    I really should check out his later Yusuf albums. I think Tea For the Tillerman and Catch Bull At Four are classics that deserve to be in every record collection, but I did not know what to make of Foreigner, and the few albums that followed got quite poor reception and sank like lead balloons.

    I saw an interview in which he said the decision to give up making music when he converted to Islam was made in haste, and he now believes there is nothing wrong with performing and recording songs, as long as the subject matter does not conflict with Islamic teachings. That leaves plenty of scope. If you look at the lyrics to his songs prior to his conversion, many of them are very spiritual anyway, just not specific to any particular religion. I doubt you'd get him preaching and proselytising from the stage.

    I VERY much doubt he would perform "I'm Gonna Get Me a Gun."

  5. #5
    Connoisseur of stuff. Obscured's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by bob_32_116 View Post
    I really should check out his later Yusuf albums. I think Tea For the Tillerman and Catch Bull At Four are classics that deserve to be in every record collection, but I did not know what to make of Foreigner, and the few albums that followed got quite poor reception and sank like lead balloons.
    "Izitso" is my favorite later day Cat; very "proggy". He has a new album to coincide with the tour coming out, "TELL ‘EM I’M GONE".
    "Henry Cow always wanted to push itself, so sometimes we would write music that we couldn't actually play – I found that very encouraging." - Lindsay Cooper, 1998
    "I have nothing to do with Endless River. Phew! This is not rocket science people, get a grip." - Roger Waters, 2014
    "I'm a collector. And I've always just seemed to collect personalities." - David Bowie, 1973

  6. #6
    I would love to see him. But, I don't see myself traveling from Pittsburgh.

    If you haven't seen this from 2007, you should. It's really great.

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    Was he not (at one time) prohibited from entering the US in some capacity - - "no fly" list or something like that.

    I had a chance to see him w/Carly Simon, and the Beach Boys around the 1971/1972 time frame - - - forgot where though.

    My son (now 16 years old) loves this artist big time - - -

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    Member rcarlberg's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by bob_32_116 View Post
    I saw an interview in which he said the decision to give up making music when he converted to Islam was made in haste, and he now believes there is nothing wrong with performing and recording songs, as long as the subject matter does not conflict with Islamic teachings.
    Doesn't have anything to do with running out of money?

  9. #9
    Does he perform with a band?

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    Member Digital_Man's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by rcarlberg View Post
    Does he just play music these days, or is he preaching and singing religious songs too?
    I don't know the answer to that personally but I suppose one could ask the same question about Neal Morse.

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    Member rcarlberg's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by WHORG View Post
    Was he not (at one time) prohibited from entering the US in some capacity - - "no fly" list or something like that.
    Yes.
    Quote Originally Posted by Wikipedia
    Denial of entry into the United States
    On 21 September 2004, Yusuf was on a United Airlines flight from London to Washington, travelling to a meeting with U.S. entertainer Dolly Parton, who had recorded "Peace Train" several years earlier and was planning to include another Cat Stevens song on an upcoming album.[59] While the plane was in flight, his name was flagged as being on the No Fly List. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers alerted the United States Transportation Security Administration, which then diverted his flight to Bangor, Maine, where he was detained by officers from the Department of Homeland Security.[71]

    The following day, Yusuf was denied entry and flown back to the United Kingdom. A spokesman for Homeland Security claimed there were "concerns of ties he may have to potential terrorist-related activities".[72] The Israeli government had deported Yusuf in 2000 over allegations that he provided funding to the Palestinian organisation Hamas,[73] but he denied doing so knowingly.[74] Yusuf, who repeatedly has condemned terrorism and Islamic extremism, stated "I have never knowingly supported or given money to Hamas".[75] "At the time I was reported to have done it, I didn't know such a group existed. Some people give a political interpretation to charity. We were horrified at how people were suffering in the Holy Land."[74]

    However, the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) added him to a "watch list".[22] The removal provoked an international controversy and led British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw to complain personally to United States Secretary of State Colin Powell at the United Nations.[76] Powell responded by stating that the watchlist was under review, adding, "I think we have that obligation to review these matters to see if we are right".[77]

    Yusuf believed his inclusion on a "watch list" may have simply been an error: a mistaken identification of him for a man with the same name, but different spelling. On 1 October 2004 he requested the removal of his name, "I remain bewildered by the decision of the U.S. authorities to refuse me entry to the United States".[78] According to a statement by Yusuf, the man on the list was named "Youssef Islam", indicating that Yusuf was not the suspected terrorism supporter.[17] Romanization of Arabic names can easily result in different spellings: the transliteration of the Islamic name for Joseph (Yusuf's chosen name) lists a dozen spellings.

    Two years later, in December 2006, Yusuf was admitted without incident into the United States for several radio concert performances and interviews to promote his new record.[79] Yusuf said of the incident at the time, "No reason was ever given, but being asked to repeat the spelling of my name again and again, made me think it was a fairly simple mistake of identity. Rumours which circulated after made me imagine otherwise."[80]

    Yusuf has written a song about the 2004 exclusion from the U.S., titled "Boots and Sand", recorded in the summer of 2008 and featuring Paul McCartney, Dolly Parton, and Terry Sylvester.[81]
    Quote Originally Posted by Digital_Man
    I suppose one could ask the same question about Neal Morse
    I hated Dylan's Jesus-freak period too.

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    Member rcarlberg's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by rcarlberg View Post
    Does he just play music these days, or is he preaching and singing religious songs too?
    He was for a while.
    Quote Originally Posted by Wikipedia
    Yusuf gradually resumed his musical career in the 1990s. His initial recordings had not included any musical instruments other than percussion, and featured lyrics about Islamic themes, some in spoken word or hamd form. He invested in building his own recording studio which he named Mountain of Light Studios in the late 1990s, and he was featured as a guest singer on "God Is the Light", a song on an album of nasheeds by the group Raihan. In addition, he invited and collaborated with other Muslim singers, including Canadian artist Dawud Wharnsby. After Yusuf's friend, Irfan Ljubijankić, the Foreign Minister of Bosnia and Herzegovina, was killed by a Serbian rocket attack, Yusuf appeared at a 1997 benefit concert in Sarajevo and recorded a benefit album named after a song written by Ljubijankić, I Have No Cannons That Roar.[88]

    Realising there were few educational resources designed to teach children about the Islamic religion, Yusuf wrote and produced a children's album, A Is for Allah, in 2000[89] with the assistance of South African singer-songwriter Zain Bhikha. The title song was one Yusuf had written years before to introduce his first child to both the religion and the Arabic alphabet. He also established his own record label, "Jamal Records", and Mountain of Light Productions, and he donates a percentage of his projects' proceeds to his Small Kindness charity, whose name is taken from the Qur'an.[90]

    On the occasion of the 2000 re-release of his Cat Stevens albums, he explained that he had stopped performing in English due to his misunderstanding of the Islamic faith. "This issue of music in Islam is not as cut-and-dried as I was led to believe ... I relied on heresy [sic],[91] that was perhaps my mistake."[89]

    Yusuf has reflected that his decision to leave the Western pop music business was perhaps too quick with too little communication for his fans. For most, it was a surprise, and even his guitarist, Alun Davies said in later interviews that he hadn't believed that Stevens would actually go through with it, after his many forays into other religions throughout their relationship.[37] Yusuf himself has said the "cut" between his former life and his life as a Muslim might have been too quick, too severe, and that more people might have been better informed about Islam, and given an opportunity to better understand it, and himself, if he had simply removed those items that were considered harām, in his performances, allowing him to express himself musically and educate listeners through his music without violating any religious constraints.[92]

  13. #13
    Yusuf has written a song about the 2004 exclusion from the U.S., titled "Boots and Sand", recorded in the summer of 2008 and featuring Paul McCartney, Dolly Parton, and Terry Sylvester.]

    Are Paul McCartney, Dolly Parton, and Terry Sylvester now on the list?
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    Member since March 2004 mozo-pg's Avatar
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    I'd love to see the show but would have like to have seen a Montreal stop (2 hours drive).

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    Outraged bystander markwoll's Avatar
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    I saw him perform a 'Peace Train' / 'Crazy Train' duel with Ozzy Osborn at John Stewart's ( and Steven Colbert's) Rally to Restore Sanity and or Fear in 2010.
    He seemed pretty welcome.
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    Moderator Duncan Glenday's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by WHORG View Post
    Was he not (at one time) prohibited from entering the US in some capacity - - "no fly" list or something like that.
    Yes.

    Several years ago - he was on a BA flight from London to Washington, DC. They realized that he had been allowed to fly (i.e. the no-fly-list didn't stop him) so the flight was forced to land in somewhere New England, he was removed, and the flight landed in DC about 8 hours late - and everyone missed their connections.

    Marillion was on that flight, coming over to start their 'Marbles' tour, which started in Mexico. So they had to sleep in Dulles airport (DC), and catch the first morning flight to Mexico - and just made it to their opening gig.
    Regards,

    Duncan

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    Member Garyhead's Avatar
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    Didn't he also go along with the death threat of salmon Rushdie in the 80's?
    maybe he was misinformed on his religion in the past...... but I'm still holding him responsible for his actions.
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    Progga mogrooves's Avatar
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    Caught him with Procol Harum in '71, which was enough for me, but if my wife learns of this she'll drag me to see him.....
    Hell, they ain't even old-timey ! - Homer Stokes

  19. #19
    Connoisseur of stuff. Obscured's Avatar
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    Peter likes him. 'nuff said.
    "Henry Cow always wanted to push itself, so sometimes we would write music that we couldn't actually play – I found that very encouraging." - Lindsay Cooper, 1998
    "I have nothing to do with Endless River. Phew! This is not rocket science people, get a grip." - Roger Waters, 2014
    "I'm a collector. And I've always just seemed to collect personalities." - David Bowie, 1973

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    Quote Originally Posted by Garyhead View Post
    Didn't he also go along with the death threat of salmon Rushdie in the 80's?
    maybe he was misinformed on his religion in the past...... but I'm still holding him responsible for his actions.
    That was a big beat-up. As I recall, he made comments along the lines of "the Koran says this, the Koran says that" and everyone interpreted his comments as personal support for having Rushdie killed.

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    Member rcarlberg's Avatar
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    Wiki has a pretty good section on the Rushdie affair.

  22. #22
    Quote Originally Posted by markwoll View Post
    I saw him perform... at John Stewart's ( and Steven Colbert's) Rally to Restore Sanity and or Fear in 2010.
    He seemed pretty welcome.
    Jon Stewart has expressed regret over appearing with him and said he wouldn't have done it had he known of his outlook.

    Stewart recounts a conversation he had with Yusuf after Rushdie complained to Stewart:

    At a 2012 fundraiser, Stewart recalled that phone conversation with Rushdie, who expressed disappointment that a performer was used "who wanted to kill me." Stewart said he was unaware of Yusuf's 1989 comments at the time. "So I'm like, I'm sure he doesn't believe that people should be put to death for apostasy," Stewart recalled. "I said, 'look, I'm sorry you're upset, but I'm sure the guy isn't really like that. Let me talk to him." Yusuf said the whole thing was a misunderstanding, but added, "although why do you have to insult the Prophet?" Stewart continued, "We get into a whole conversation, and it becomes very clear to me that he is straddling two worlds in a very difficult way. And that he actually still – and it broke my heart a little bit. I wish I had known that. I wouldn't have done [the bit], I don't think. If I had known that, I wouldn't have done it. Because that to me is a deal breaker. Death for free speech is a deal breaker."
    Last edited by Bucka001; 09-17-2014 at 04:28 AM.

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    Highly Evolved Orangutan JKL2000's Avatar
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    I can't stand his recent music. It's like he declared jihad on my ears.

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  25. #25
    Connoisseur of stuff. Obscured's Avatar
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    This sucks and is so cool at the same time- ( http://www.yusufislam.com/tell-em-im-gone-us/ )

    **"Unfortunately I will not be performing in NYC this time around but I am looking forward to playing for fans in Philadelphia on December 4 and hope to return to NYC at a future date. My fans will understand and I thank them for informing me about the extortionate tickets prices already being listed on some websites. I have been a longtime supporter of paperless tickets to my shows worldwide and avoiding scalpers. Unfortunately NY has a state law that requires all tickets sold for shows in NYC to be paper, enabling them to be bought and sold at inflated prices. I'm sorry about not being able to now play in NYC but hope to find an opportunity that aligns with my support of this issue in the near future, God willing. Looks like the Peace Train is going to arrive at New York a little bit later than expected.” - Yusuf**

    All shows are sold-out. No tickets will be available on stubhub, etc.
    "Henry Cow always wanted to push itself, so sometimes we would write music that we couldn't actually play – I found that very encouraging." - Lindsay Cooper, 1998
    "I have nothing to do with Endless River. Phew! This is not rocket science people, get a grip." - Roger Waters, 2014
    "I'm a collector. And I've always just seemed to collect personalities." - David Bowie, 1973

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