Yusuf/Cat Stevens gives the world a warning during Neil Young support slot: “Be careful”
During his support slot at BST Hyde Park for Neil Young and the Chrome Hearts, Yusuf/Cat Stevens made a strong political point by spotlighting all the children involved in conflict worldwide.
The musician is an active supporter of the Palestinian cause; he has spoken at pro-Palestine rallies in London and Istanbul. He used his set opening for Neil Young to support a “free, free Palestine” chant breaking out across the crowd and hone in on the children involved in the conflict in the Middle East.
His song ‘The Little Ones’ was dedicated to the child victims of the Srebrenica massacre, three decades before, as well as all those victims of ongoing massacres. A song prior, he sang ‘Where Do the Children Play?’.
When introducing the song, he said, “If we aren’t careful looking at the commercial world and the West, zooming in on the children, we have to be really careful, because they may be just losing their lives in that little black square. Be careful.”
In 2023, he shared a documentary clip on his social media with a similar message. The clip depicts children stating their wishes, such as “I dream to study at a University.”
The tagline asked, “Why am I dying to live?”, highlighting the impact of conflict on the lives of children.
During his encore, Neil Young also made a charged political comment before launching into his huge tracks ‘Throw Your Hatred Down’ and ‘Rockin’ in the Free World’. “What a world we got, folks,” Young remarked before his 1995 anti-war song.
Stevens recently announced a tour for the first time in nine years. In celebration of his upcoming memoir, he will perform a selection of classic hits and tell stories of his life and career. The Cat On The Road To Findout – An Evening Of Tales, Tunes And Other Mysteries tour will take in stops across the UK and North America in September and October this year.
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