For the first time in 40 years, Nashville played host to a Cat Stevens concert. Unlike the last go-around, Yusuf performed songs under a new name and as Consequence of Sound noted, he had something called a “Jack White” lending a hand this time.
Among the sights and sounds at the Ryman Auditorium concert was a guest appearance from the noble Nashvillian, allowing White and Yusuf to share the Tea for the Tillerman opener “Where Do the Children Play.” Naturally, the moment was captured by an army of phones and footage of the two talents was whisked away to “the internet.”
Jack White wasn’t the only artist that created a formidable one-off duo with Yusuf. Cult singer-songwriter Bonnie “Prince” Billy (or Will Oldham if you prefer born names) would later join Yusuf during the encore for a pair of songs. There are certainly worse ways to spend a weeknight in Tennessee.
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The guest appearances sound like a lovely bonus, although we’re just as delighted by this portion of The Tennessean‘s recap of the show. From Juli Thanki:
“In another one of the show’s other unexpected moments, Yusuf cited the animated film Zootopia as a source of wisdom. He then recited a block of dialogue — said by the movie’s anthropomorphic rabbit turned rookie cop — that ended with the message ‘try to make the world a better place…change starts with you’ before segueing into ‘People Get Ready’ and ‘Peace Train.'”
This is an excellent bit of banter that should be employed at all future concerts.
