In a surprising move, Cat Stevens will not perform in New York City on his latest “Peace Train..Late Again” Tour due to the paperless ticketing laws in the state that allow for increased scalping. “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,” the guitarist said on his Facebook page.

Stevens was originally supposed to perform at the Beacon Theater but will now no longer do so. The rest of the tour, which kicks off December 1 in Toronto, ON, will go on as scheduled.

Here’s a look at the full quote:

“Unfortunately I will not be performing in NYC this time around but I am looking forward to playing for fans in Philadelphia on December 4 and hope to return to NYC at a future date. My fans will understand and I thank them for informing me about the extortionate tickets prices already being listed on some websites. 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.” – Yusuf