Yusuf / Cat Stevens has announced that his North American “Cat on the Road to Findout” Book Tour will be postponed due to unspecified visa issues.
“Sadly, my ‘Cat on the Road to Findout’ Book Tour in the U.S. looks like it won’t go ahead as scheduled in October,” the singer/author wrote in a statement.
“Waiting months for visa approvals, we held out as long as we could. However, at this point, the production logistics necessary for my show cannot be arranged in time. I am really upset! Not least for my fans who have bought tickets and made travel plans to see me perform.
“North American audiences may still get a chance to see the tour if visa approvals eventually come through. Those dates would be some time away because of other travel tour plans but, hopefully, fans will be able to hop on the Peace Train route at some time in the future.
“Meanwhile, tour delays should not affect the book, which you’ll still be able to enjoy… the obvious benefit of it being — books don’t need visas!”
Yusuf did not specify any reason for the visa delays, but considering the current climate in the U.S., it seems possible that certain statements he made decades ago — in 1989, he publicly supported Ayatollah Khomeini’s calls for the death of author Salman Rushdie for allegedly blaspheming Islam in his “Satanic Verses” book, although he has said his statements were misconstrued — could have played a role.
The singer-songwriter (who changed his name to Yusuf Islam after embracing the Muslim faith), best known for his 1970s hits like “Morning Has Broken” and “Wild World,” has since softened his stances and in 2020 Haim, Dave Matthews, Jack Johnson and Feist were among more than 40 artists who perform his songs at the CatSong Festival, held virtually during the pandemic.
Yusuf’s memoir “Cat On The Road To Findout “is due for release in the U.K. on October 2.