Yusuf Cat Stevens To Skip NYC Due To Ticketing Laws

Yusuf, aka Cat Stevens, was disheartened to see listings at exorbitant prices on secondary ticketing sites for tickets to shows on his upcoming first U.S. Tour in decades even though tickets haven’t officially gone on sale. The recent Rock Hall inductee decided to do something about it and has rejiggered his touring itinerary to skip New York City on the run due to the state’s scalper-friendly law prohibiting paperless tickets.

While Yusuf has axed his planned December 7th performance at the Beacon Theatre in NYC, he has added a show in Philadelphia. Stevens will play the Tower Theatre in Philadelphia on December 4. He’s also switched the date of his Boston appearance to December 7. 

Here’s the full text of Yusuf’s statement:

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

Take a look at the revised list of Yusuf/Cat Stevens tour dates:

12/01 -Toronto, ON @ Massey Hall
12/04 -Philadelphia, PA @ Tower Theatre
12/07 -Boston, MA @ Citi Performing Arts Center -Wang Theatre
12/09 -Chicago, IL @ Chicago Theatre
12/12 -San Francisco, CA @ The Masonic
12/14 -Los Angeles, CA @ Nokia Theatre L.A. Live