Cat Stevens / Yusuf Islam has played the first show in his A Cat’s Attic: 50th Anniversary Acoustic Tour at the Sony Centre For the Performing Arts in Toronto.
The two-set/34-song show exceeds almost anything that he has previously performed. During the 70’s, most performances ranged from 12 to 24 songs while he lengthened his shows in recent years but it was a rarity for Stevens to hit the 34 song mark.
The structure of the night focused on Stevens’ early albums, Mathew and Son, New Masters and Mona Bona Jakon, along with his music for the film Harold & Maude, during the first set.
Two early nods to Tea For the Tillerman, the opening Where Do the Children Play? and the set closing On the Road to Find Out tipped the opening of set two that included three more Tillerman songs before moving on to Teaser and the Firecat and later albums. Only three songs late in the show acknowledged his albums made under the name Yusuf.
The hits were there, at least some of them, but this show was much more about Stevens telling his story and showing the development of his music over the years.
Cat Stevens set list
Set 1
Where Do the Children Play? (from Tea For the Tillerman, 1970)
If You Want to Sing Out, Sing Out (from the soundtrack of Harold & Maude, 1971)
Somewhere (cover from West Side Story)
Love Me Do (Beatles cover)
Here Comes My Baby (from Mathew and Son, 1967)
The First Cut is the Deepest (from New Masters, 1967)
I Love My Dog (from Mathew and Son, 1967)
Matthew and Son (from Mathew and Son, 1967)
Northern Wind (from New Masters, 1967)
A Bad Night (from New Masters, 1967)
Trouble (from Mona Bona Jakon, 1970)
I Wish, I Wish (from Mona Bona Jakon, 1970)
Lilywhite / Don’t Be Shy (from Mona Bona Jakon, 1970 / from the Soundtrack of Harold & Maude; however, not released until Footsteps in the Dark: Greatest Hits, Volume 2, 1984)
Pop Star (from Mona Bona Jakon, 1970)
On the Road to Find Out (from Tea For the Tillerman, 1970)
Set 2
Miles From Nowhere (from Tea For the Tillerman, 1970)
Into White (from Tea For the Tillerman, 1970)
Father and Son (from Tea For the Tillerman, 1970)
You Can Do (Whatever) (by Yusuf from the soundtrack of Jobs, 2013)
The Wind (from Teaser and the Firecat, 1971)
Peace Train (from Teaser and the Firecat, 1971)
Morning Has Broken (from Teaser and the Firecat, 1971)
How Can I Tell You (from Teaser and the Firecat, 1971)
Ruins (from Catch Bull at Four, 1972)
Another Saturday Night (single, 1974)
Novim’s Nightmare (from Numbers: A Pythagorean Theory Tale, 1975)
People Get Ready (Impressions cover)
Be What You Must (from the Yusuf album Roadsinger, 2009)
Just Another Night (from Back to Earth, 1978)
Maybe There’s a World / All You Need is Love (from Yusuf album An Other Cup, 2006 / Beatles cover)
Wild World (from Tea For the Tillerman, 1970)
Encore
Moonshadow (from Teaser and the Firecat, 1971)
You Are My Sunshine (from the Yusuf album Tell ‘Em I’m Gone, 2014)
Oh Very Young (from Buddha and the Chocolate Box, 1974)
Follow Noise11.com on Facebook and Twitter
——————————————————————————————————————————————
Never miss a story! Get your free Noise11.com daily music news email alert. Subscribe to the Noise11 Music Newsletter here
Listen to the Noise11 Music News channel now at iHeartRadio
