The musician known as Yusuf/Cat Stevens was scheduled to kick off the American leg of his current tour in Philadelphia Oct. 2, but it seems the show is likely to be delayed if not cancelled. His Instagram account announced that his “Cat On The Road To Findout — An Evening Of Tales, Tunes, And Other Mysteries” tour “is in serious jeopardy due to significant delay in U.S. immigration processing. Despite our team’s exhaustive efforts, the required performance visas for Yusuf and his band have not yet been issued.”
This isn’t the first time Stevens has had visa problems with the U.S. In 2004, during the Islamophobic Bush administration, he was on his way to Nashville to record with Dolly Parton when his plane was rerouted to Maine and he was deported. His concert at the 3,500-seat Met in Philadelphia is sold out. The Inquirer’s Dan DeLuca reported resale tickets are going for $1,000.
“The Hurt” was the only single released from Stevens’ 1973 album “Foreigner.” The album, recorded without longtime second guitarist Alun Davies, departed from the formula that propelled “Teaser and the Firecat” and “Tea for the Tillerman” to triple-platinum status in favor of a more keyboard-oriented, soul-influenced sound. His fans weren’t crazy about the new direction, and the single only reached reached No. 38 on the Hot 100. The soul influence isn’t strong, but you can hear it in the female backing chorus and the flourishes from the Tower of Power horn section.
