It's certainly been the year for big name nostalgia as far as live gigs are concerned; alongside Macca we've been treated to Midnight Oil, Patti Smith, Bruce Springsteen and Stevie Nicks.
And now, after a few years away from our shores, Yusuf Islam, forever Cat Stevens to many, returns to shed light on a fascinating career of twists and turns, egotism and spiritualism, while dishing out much-loved folk-pop anthems.
This trip Down Under comes hot on the heels of the 50-year anniversary of Father And Son's release, arguably his biggest hit, and also his latest release The Laughing Apple, a quasi-prequel to 1970's Tea For The Tillerman that revives songs written and put away, never to be released until this year. It's an album that sets the tone for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee and Nobel Peace Laureate award winner to tell his 50-years-in-the-making tale from start to finish.
With no-fuss dress or speech, Yusuf takes his place alongside his players before a crowd who are anything but no-fuss, and treats them to Moonshadow and The First Cut Is The Deepest. It's from here on in that the storytelling begins. There's almost a bit of a mythology surrounding the singer-writer and his ascension from a humble upbringing to musical superstardom back in the 1970s; he's a natural on stage for someone who could have easily been consigned to working in his family's London cafe until the end of his days. He takes us to his makeshift "attic" - a truly impressive and cosy looking set piece that is revealed on stage - where these prototype songs were born. His love of The Beatles gets him grooving to a Twist & Shout vinyl that he plonks on himself then covers From Me To You (and quips "see, you're not missing anything" in reference to Paul McCartney playing in Brisbane the same evening). He says it was this music that led him to buy his first guitar and start writing the songs we all love, like Father And Son, which still harbours so much intensity thanks to that ragged, quavering edge around his clear, commanding voice that only occasionally peters out on some higher notes.
After a brief intermission he takes the audience with him as he delves back to the life-threatening moment that opened his eyes to the start of a long spiritual journey. Where Do The Children Play?, Oh Very Young and Wild World help paint that picture, when he had "reached the top of the material world but was still searching for something to believe in". He'd found it though, and Peace Train was the result, and it is such a joy to hear all these voices echo it throughout this hall. There are some moments that feel slightly glossed over for theatrics' sake, but the music, production and connection with the crowd limit whatever impact this might have had. The entire room is on a glorious high and happy to sing the man out with some last gems Morning Has Broken and Can't Keep It In. Timeless songs from an ageless man.
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