Cat Stevens cancels first New York concert in 35 years over 'extortionate ticket prices'

Cat Stevens cancels first New York concert in 35 years over 'extortionate ticket prices'
(Image credit: Facebook/Yusuf/Cat Stevens)

New Yorkers haven't had the chance to see Yusuf — the artist better known under his original performing name, Cat Stevens — perform in their hometown in 35 years. That was scheduled to change next month, but thanks to a few unscrupulous scalpers, the wait just got even longer.

In a Facebook post, Yusuf announced that he was replacing his New York concert date with a concert in Philadelphia, lamenting the "extortionate ticket prices" being charged for the New York concert by 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," he wrote. "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."

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Scott Meslow is the entertainment editor for TheWeek.com. He has written about film and television at publications including The Atlantic, POLITICO Magazine, and Vulture.