Cat Stevens canceled a New York City concert after the city refused to allow him to sell paperless tickets. The iconic British folk singer, who is also known as Yusuf Islam, was slated to perform on December 7 at New York's Beacon Theatre.

He explained his position in a statement: "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."

He added: "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."

Stevens' "Peace Train… Late Again" tour is his first set of dates in North America since 1976; it includes shows in Boston, Chicago, San Francisco and Los Angeles.