The musician, who has been supporting paperless tickets to fight scalpers, says some fans have informed him about 'the extortionate tickets prices already being listed on some websites.'
- Sep 25, 2014
AceShowbiz - Cat Stevens a.k.a. Yusuf Islam has canceled his first New York concert in nearly four decades. The singer announced the unfortunate news on his website on Wednesday, September 24 and explained he decided to axe the show supposed to take place at the Beacon Theatre on December 7 because of the state's laws on paperless tickets.
Stevens, who has been an opponent of ticket scalping, said that some fans had informed him "about the extortionate tickets prices already being listed on some websites." He continued, "I have been a longtime supporter of paperless tickets to my shows worldwide and avoiding 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."
"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," he added.
A law passed by New York in 2010 requires tickets to be transferrable. Technically, the state doesn't completely ban paperless ticket as Stevens says.
As a result of the show cancellation, Stevens will now play a show in Boston on the date he's originally scheduled to perform in New York. He has also added a new show at the Tower Theater in Philadelphia on December 4.
The canceled show was a part of Stevens' 6-date tour that will be launched to support his new album, "Tell 'Em I'm Gone", which will be released next month. The 6-date trek will be kicked off in Toronto on December 1.
