Yusuf/Cat Stevens announced Monday that his book and performance tour, with a sold-out stop at the Met Philly scheduled for Thursday, is on hold because of visa trouble.
Stevens said in a post on Instagram: “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.”
He added: “I am really upset! Not least for my fans who have bought tickets and made travel plans to see me perform.”
For some of the best seats at the Met Philly, which would have been the first date on the tour, resale tickets were going for more than $1,000.
Stevens had planned to travel in the United States and Canada with his show, “Cat on the Road to Findout — An Evening of Tales, Tunes, and Other Mysteries,” to promote his new memoir with performances that would include storytelling and songs.
The 77-year-old British artist peaked in fame during the 1970s with hits like “Peace Train” and has reportedly sold more than 100 million records.
He converted to Islam in 1977 and changed his name to Yusuf Islam. In 1989, he made statements in support of a death fatwa issued by the Ayatollah Khomeini against author Salman Rushdie. He later claimed he didn’t make such statements.
When Rushdie was stabbed and nearly killed in 2022, Stevens condemned the attacks and wished Rushdie a full recovery.
In 2004, while on his way to record with Dolly Parton in Nashville, Stevens’ plane was rerouted to Maine and he was deported. A government spokesperson said there were “concerns of ties he may have to potential terrorist-related activities,” which Stevens denied.
He has since returned to the United States to perform, including in Philadelphia at the Kimmel Center in 2016.
In 2017, he started using the name Yusuf/Cat Stevens.
Earlier this month, Stevens warned on Instagram that his tour “is in serious jeopardy due to significant delays 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.”
Stevens did not elaborate on any stated or suspected reasons for the delays.
