Yusuf/Cat Stevens First U.S. Tour in 35 years to Come Through Nokia Theatre

Sandra Miska

Get ready to sing along to “Here Comes My Baby” and “Wild World,” when British singer-songwriter Yusuf/Cat Stevens performs at the Nokia Theatre on Dec. 14 as part of his first North American tour in 35 years.

Stevens, who was born Steven Demetre Georgiou and took the stage name Cat Stevens, came to fame in the early 1970s with the hit “The First Cut Is the Deepest,” a song that has since been successfully covered by four different artists.  In 1977, Stevens converted to Islam and changed his name to Yusuf Islam.  Two years later, he put his music career aside to devote himself to a more religious life.

After receiving several accolades for his philanthropy, including the 2004 Man of Peace Award, Stevens released the album “An Other Cup” in 2006 under the name Yusuf.  As for his current name, he goes by Yusuf/Cat Stevens on his official website and his Twitter bio refers to him as “Yusuf Islam the Artist also known as Cat Stevens.”  He currently calls Dubai home.

Stevens’ six-city Peace Train… Late Again Tour will top off a busy year for the singer.  Not only was he inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, he released a blues album this past October titled “Tell ‘Em I’m Gone.”  He recently told The Guardian that it was demand from fans that made him decide to cross the ocean again.

“I’ve been a bit slow in coming around to the United States, but there were so many people asking me to do that, that I just felt an obligation.” “The Peace Train… Late Again Tour” will kick off Dec. 1 in Toronto.  Stevens will make stops in Philadelphia, Boston, Chicago and San Francisco before arriving in Los Angeles. On Nov. 4, Yusuf/Cat Stevens played in London, and the London Evening Standard was on hand to review the show.

“At Yusuf’s first hometown show in five years, his Peace Train tour arrived with a retro stage set recreating a branch line railway station. It was a quaint scene that evoked a lost era when a folk-poet could rule the charts.”

Yusuf/Cat Stevens will perform at the Nokia Theatre Dec. 14.  For more information, go here.