Cat Stevens/Yusuf Islam 
Beacon Theatre
September 20th, 2016

We saw Cat return to form(/American soil, on his first official North American tour since 1976!) in Boston back in the winter of 2014, and it was an unforgettable night filled with much wisdom, soul, and incredible music.  We had only one want after that night – to see him again, mainly cause he didn’t play ‘Matthew & Son‘ (my favorite Cat song that isn’t ‘Lady D’Arbanville‘, which he hasn’t played since… 1976!)

Well, the opportunity arose and we seized it, and Mr Cat/Yusuf/Amazing came thru with his end of the bargain!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

https://www.instagram.com/p/BKmWw4mDR_H/

not only that – but he took a little dig at Tears For Fears while playing it, for their song ‘Mad World’ sounding quite like his ‘Matthew & Son’ – mouthing ‘I think it’s kind of funny, I think it’s kind of strange, yes I think it’s kind of funny, that this sounds the same!‘  YOU FCUKING GO CAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The 2014 tour’s name was ‘Peace Train…Late Again’, as in, he’s still be riding that train, but that train and its conductor was a little past due at its American stations.  Well, this year’s tour is called ‘A Cat’s Attic: 50 Year Anniversary Acoustic Tour’, and with less explaining about his absence this time around, he played the true troubadour, taking us on his musical life story with his 60s catalog as its soundtrack.  The cuts he dropped were a bit deeper than when we saw him before, and luckily he didn’t bother with the tunes on his last album, which were in heavy rotation on that 2014 jaunt

In these uncertain times, it’s wonderful that we can take solace in a musical genius who promotes peace, love and understanding, and so happens to be a Muslim.  The (probably not very Muslim) crowd was with Cat/Yusuf from start to finish.  The world would be a better place if it was with Cat/Yusuf’s music and its message from here on out.  Never too late to board the peace train.  WOOT! WOOT!!

Here’s hoping the next tour is called ‘I Want To Be Your Man/Lady D’Arbanville’.  And if so, that tour – oh you tour - you will be my fill, yes, you will be my fill

Set 1 - Lilywhite / Don’t Be Shy / America (Leonard Bernstein song) / Up on the Roof (Carole King cover) / Love Me Do (The Beatles cover) / Here Comes My Baby / I Love My Dog / Matthew & Son / Blackness of the Night / A Bad Night / Trouble / Katmandu / I Wish, I Wish / Miles From Nowhere / On the Road to Findout

Set 2 - Tea for the Tillerman / Sad Lisa / If You Want to Sing Out, Sing Out / Into White / Father and Son / The Wind / How Can I Tell You / Sitting / The Boy With a Moon and Star on His Head / Angelsea / Oh Very Young / Novim’s Nightmare / People Get Ready (The Impressions cover) / Be What You Must / Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood (Nina Simone cover) / Maybe There’s a World -> All You Need Is Love / Peace Train

Encore  - Wild World / Moonshadow / Morning Has Broken

Cat Stevens / Yusuf Islam
Wang Theatre
December 7th

Dude, CAT FCUKING STEVENS. Dude, YUSUF FCUKING ISLAM. Whatever his name is, he may be a changed man, but the song/voice/soul/words remain the same – AMAZINGS!!!!! We’ve know his work for years, and were reminded of his genius by seeing Harold & Maude + Wes Anderson movies, but he’s always seemed so out of reach. Probably cause he hasn’t toured America since 1976. 19-SEVENTY-FCUKING-SIX!!!! I WASN’T EVEN BORN THEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well, got the rare chance to see him, when he was inducted to the RnR HoF, and after taking in his tiny 3 song set, I wasn’t juss thirsty for more, I was on life support for more!!!! Had to see him again, in full. HAD TO!!! Europe and elsewhere had been lucky. He’d been touring there and there for awhile, and yet, still no US dates. That changed this fall when he announced a handful of North American dates. NY was originally on the docket, and then it wasn’t (something about paperless tickets, and NY not allowing it), and so I had to see him, ANYWHERE. Boston became the choice, and OH MAN OH MAN OH MAN OH MAN, it was a Boston revolution!!!! I was having a teabagging party for one – putting Cat’s balls in my mouth and sucking it all in!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dude, Cat was like – listen to the wind of my soul. And we listened to the wind of his soul!!! And every time he did, I kept seeing this picture of him!!! Oh man, this 1st cut was the deepest. SO DEEP!! And so was the 2nd, and 3rd and billionth!!! I’ll always love you, CAT!!! Maybe I don’t love you. LIES!!! Man, all kinds of children play in his yard, but where do they play? Oh wait, he answered that. He loves his dog. I LOVE HIM!!! TRAPPED!!! Like a cat and a dog, in the old schoolyard. Remember those days? Cat does. We don’t, but he makes us remember. People got ready. They sung out, sung out. Boy did they. THEY ATE IT UP. Who wouldn’t. 1976 to now is like a forever

Everyone has a big boss, man, causing trouble, but set me free trouble!!! Cat’s old, but oh very young. Cat’s dying to live but living to die. STAY WITH US CAT!! Keep casting your moonshadow, as you are our sunshine. You make us foreigners feel like heaven, where our true love goes. Man, this world is wild. None of his cuts would end up on the editing floor. He gets the blues, and we get the chills. It’s not another Saturday night. It’s a SUNDAY TO REMEMBER. In fact, December 7th – a concert that will live in AWESOMEly!!! Why did the night have to end? Morning wanted to break, but he had to board the Peace Train, as it was heading to the next stop, for another father and son to cherish

The train is miles from anywhere, and nowhere. It made Lisa sad, but everyone was beyond happy

Cat, come back. Trains make more than one repeat stop, don’t they?

I mean, I still need to hear you play ‘Matthew & Son’

Set 1 – The Wind / Here Comes My Baby / The First Cut Is the Deepest / Thinking ‘Bout You / Sitting / Last Love Song / All Kinds of Roses / Where Do the Children Play? / I Love My Dog / Cat and the Dog Trap / (Remember the Days of the) Old Schoolyard / People Get Ready (Curtis Mayfield cover) / If You Want to Sing Out, Sing Out

Set 2 – Big Boss Man (Jimmy Reed cover) / Trouble / Oh Very Young / Dying to Live (Edgar Winter cover) / Moonshadow / You Are My Sunshine (Jimmie Davis cover) / Foreigner Suite – Heaven – Where True Love Goes / Wild World / Editing Floor Blues / Another Saturday Night (Sam Cooke cover) / Morning Has Broken / Peace Train / Father and Son

Encore – Miles from Nowhere / Sad Lisa

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 29th Induction Ceremony
Barclays Center
April 10th

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame may be meaningless (OH LOOK, THEY HAVE JOHN LENNON’S POOL PASS!), and who they decide to let a lot too arbitrary, but they certainly know how to put on a show (Their 25th Anniversary ones were near legendary to me), and especially an induction ceremony.  Previously an industry and insider only affair for years, the powers that be decided to open the festivities to the public this year.  With the 29th class consisting of Peter Gabriel, Hall & Oates, Cat Stevens(!!!!!), Kiss, The E Street Band, managers Brian Epstein + Andrew Loog Oldham, Linda Ronstadt & Nirvana, I knew that this was a show NOT to be missed.  But apparently people thought otherwise, and one could have snagged a ticket for 1/2 off of face value.  Maybe the Kiss army weren’t pleased that the band refused to perform.  Or maybe people are juss dumb.  I’m sorry you missed this, cause you really really missed something.  Anywho, here’s how it went down, in order…

Peter Gabriel

Love me some PG.  He can totally shock my monkey, BIG TIME, with a Sledgehammer on the games without frontiers!!!!!!!!!!!  Those are MY favorite PG tunes, but sadly, he didn’t play any of them. He played

Digging in the Dirt  / Washing of the Water (with Chris Martin) / In Your Eyes (with Y’Sou N’Dour)

Not bad choices, but Peter, c’mon man, lets rock a little, not put me to sleepzzz.  Guess this means I’ll juss have to see him play a full show some other time.  Jerknutz.  Not a total loss, as I used his speeching as a time to go grab that yumcredible brisket mac & cheese from Fatty ‘Cue

–

Kiss

I hate Kiss, but would have been happy to see them perform, with the original line-up or with whatever line-up they wanted to play with.  Still, their speeches were sincere, and funny, and pointed, especially when Paul Stanley took a shot at the Hall for how they choose the inductees, saying the fans should have more say

I still hate Kiss, but this Chuck Klosterman love letter on them was pretty fcuking great, and comprehensive!

I really hate Kiss, but mainly cause when I was younger, my cousins had Kiss wallpaper in their room, and when I went into that room, the wallpaper scared the living crap out of me.  It SILL scares me.  All of it – the wallpaper, the dudes in make-up.  Eeeek

–

Cat Stevens / Yusuf Islam

Dude, I think we all take Cat Stevens for granted.  Sure, he (now Yusuf Islam), may have had some poor choice of words and thoughts over the years, but it doesn’t change the fact that he’s Cat Stevens.  Apparently some still think he’s a ‘terrorist’.  The US even put him on the no fly list from 2004 – 2006.  Even my mom said last week that there’s juss something not right about him.  What do we all know?  Well, what I know is that Cat/Yusuf/whomever is a lover of peace, and music, and that peaceful lovely music shined thru BIG time in his set…

Father and Son / Wild World / Peace Train

Oh man, he sounded SO FCUKING GREAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT.  He has to do a proper tour of America, and America muss open its arms and doors to him.  Maybe he can tour with his induct-or, Art Garfunkel, who said of the honoree ‘this guy’s better than Paul Simon’.  BURNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!!!

Btw, one of the greatest things ever remains Colbert & Jon Stewart piecing together the Peace/Crazy/Love Train medley with Cat, Ozzy & The O’Jays

CAT FCUKING STEVENS PEOPLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

–

Linda Ronstadt

A couple of days before this show, all I knew about Linda Ronstadt was that her last name isn’t easy to spell AND she dated George Lucas in the 80s.  Then I decided to youtube her hits, and man, oh woman, did I have a brain fart.  Linda has quite the impressive back catalog, we all know AND love.  Even her cover versions are equally as famous AND awesome as the originals is/are!  But poor Linda, she has Parkinson’s disease, and can no longer play or travel, but in her place was a chick-love-fest that initially I didn’t think much of, BUT AFTERWARDS I THOUGHT MUCH OF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Look at THIS set, and WHO was involved!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Different Drum (with Carrie Underwood) / Blue Bayou (Roy Orbison cover with Emmylou Harris + Bonnie Raitt & Carrie Underwood) / You’re No Good (Dee Dee Warwick cover with Sheryl Crow + Emmylou Harris, Bonnie Raitt, Carrie Underwood & Glenn Frey) / It’s So Easy To Fall In Love (Buddy Holly cover with Stevie Nicks + Sheryl Crow, Emmylou Harris, Bonnie Raitt, Carrie Underwood & Glenn Frey) /When Will I Be Loved? (The Everly Brothers cover with Stevie Nicks + Sheryl Crow, Emmylou Harris, Bonnie Raitt, Carrie Underwood & Glenn Frey)

–

The E Street Band

I’m no fan of Bruce or the E Street guys/gals, but there’s no denying their talent.  There’s also no denying that they should have been inducted with Bruce back in ’99, so we didn’t have to hear EACH of these dogdammnn band members give a speech, which resulted in 23921392939139 hours added to the concert.  The only speech that had any resonance or purpose was the one delivered by Clarence Clemons’ widow’s.  The Band and Bruce played three songs, but none of them were ‘Dancing In The Dark’ and Courtney Cox wasn’t honored, so who cares?

–

Hall & Oates

Never thought too much of lion-maned Hall & mustachioed Oates, but they did have some killer hits.  LOTS of them.  Not enough time to play em all, but we were treated to

She’s Gone / I Can’t Go for That (No Can Do) / You Make My Dreams Come True

These dudes eat men!  And props to Daryl Hall who took aim at the E Street Band for making too many speeches, and decided not to make too much of a speech himself

–

Nirvana

The Rock Hall saved the best for last.  Not necessarily the best inductee (I’d say Cat Stevens is the most deserving on the docket), but the best performance for last.  Rumors swirled for days as to who would take Kurt Cobain’s place in the show.  Would introducer Michael Stipe take the honors?  Or some other random dude?  

Then Joan Jett’s name popped up online.  I was like, OK, that’s cool, I guess.  Well guess what, Joan Jett DID indeed front Nirvana, for ‘Smells Like Teen Spirt’, and OMG, here we are now, AND IT ENTERTAINED US!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  One of my biggest regrets in life was never seeing Nirvana live.  Would never be able to correct that error, but you know what, watching Dave Grohl behind the drum kit, and Krist bouncing with his bass (+ Pat, smearing), and hearing Joan belt the mulatto, albino, mosquito, libido bits kinda sorta really makes up for it.  Not really, but really.  Whatever, I’ll take this times a zilllllllllion over nothing!

Then Joan left, and then Sonic Youth’s Kim Gordon came on for an awful, earsplitting rendition of ‘Aneurysm’.  No stretch for her, since Sonic Youth are kinda awful and earsplitting (I only dig their more commercial Dirty album)  

Then she took off and St Vincent/Annie Clark came on and RAWKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKED THE FCUK OUT OF ‘LITHIUM’.  I FOUND GAWDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  

Then that Lorde came on to do a decent ‘All Apologies’, with Krist Novoselic playing accordion  

OH MAN –  THIS WAS AN ALL TIME HIGH!!!  Til the end of my days, I will never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never forget what Jett & Annie St Vince & Dave & Krist (+ Pat) done did.  It’s right up there with greatest concert performances I’ve EVER seen – Simon & Garf reunited at MSG, that RnR at 25 Night 1 show + An Evening with Fran Healy and Andy Dunlop from Travis

Although I bet this after-show-secret show of Nirvana + Joan + St Vince + Kim Gordon AND J Mascis and John McCauley would have put all other shows I’d ever seen to shame.  They really should do a tour of this Nirvana with multiple Kurt Cobain stand-ins thing.  A tribute act that’s part tribute, but all parts awesome

Sadly, since the show ran super long, they axed the usual all star jam at the end.  BOOOOOO YOU E STREET BAND!!!