Yusaf, or as he is better known Cat Stevens, has just announced his return to New Zealand this December as part of his ‘Peace Train Tour, A Cat’s Attic,’ in celebration of the 50th anniversary of his first major hit single and debut album ‘Matthew & Son.’ The iconic British singer-songwriter will be playing three show dates:
Vector Arena, Auckland December 13, New Plymouth’s TSB Bowl of Brooklands on December 16 and Christchurch’s Horncastle Arena on December 19.
This is Yusaf’s second NZ tour having played two sold-out concerts in 2010.
“But he remembers how it used to be, back in the old days,
So nice to see you coming back to this town again
It’s nice to see a friendly face come peeping through having tea
In the afternoon, so nice to see you coming back to this town again.”
Cat Stevens, ‘Ruins, Catch Bull at Four’, 1972.
‘Back to Earth’ was Yusaf’s last album as Cat Stevens, released in 1978, the year after he converted to Islam following a near-death experience in Malibu, California. Born Steven Demetre Georgiou he changed his name to Yusaf Islam, walked away from his music and the public eye and started a family, while he embraced his new faith.
According to an interview with the Rolling Stone, after singing ‘Peace Train’ in memory of the 9/11 victims during a tribute concert in New York “the sleepy train began to chug its way slowly uphill again.”
Picking up a guitar at home two years later continued Yusaf’s slow return to music and following the devastating Asian Tsunami, he returned to the studio for the first time since 1978 to record ‘Indian Ocean,’ released as a free download to support relief efforts. In 2006 his first album as Yusaf hit the charts with ‘An Other Cup.’ Since then, two more albums have been released intertwining his musical talent with his peace and human rights activism – 2009’s ‘Roadslinger’ and 2014’s ‘Tell ‘Em I’m Gone.’ In this same year as his last release, Yusaf was honoured to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Tickets will be released for his New Zealand tour on Wednesday 5th April at 10 am through Ticketmaster and Ticketek. Until then you can find Cat Stevens on your AMS Media Manager.
