LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- It was the hottest ticket in town. Colin Farrell was there. So were Michelle Branch, Josh Groban and Chris Isaak -- the latter accompanied by his manager's dog, Rodney.



Yusuf, formerly known as Cat Stevens, believes he can help bridge gaps between cultures.



No, we're not talking about a Britney Spears or U2 concert. We're talking about a star-studded, invitation-only club show by Yusuf -- the artist formerly known as Cat Stevens.



It was the legendary folk singer's first L.A. show in 33 years, and the audience gave him a heartfelt "welcome back."



He played for just over an hour: half a dozen songs from his new album, "Roadsinger," plus a few gems from the '60s and '70s. It was "Peace Train" that elicited a singalong, with the entire room participating in the song's signature hand claps.



Branch, who sings backup on Yusuf's new album, admitted to getting teary-eyed. "You don't understand," she said. "I learned how to play guitar with the Cat Stevens songbook!"  Watch Yusuf talk about his songbook -- and his life »



The whole evening seemed awash in good vibes. Concertgoers didn't even mind having a security guard electronically wand them on the way in. It was perhaps an extra security measure given some of the lingering controversy surrounding the headliner's conversion to Islam at the height of his popularity in 1977, during which time he changed his name from Cat Stevens to Yusuf Islam.



In 2004, he was famously denied entry into the United States after his name appeared on a no-fly list. He maintained that it was a case of mistaken identity with another man named Yousuf Islam.



However, there was no mistaking the artist on stage at the El Rey Theater last week. At 60, he may look more like a hip college professor than the dark-haired, sensitive sex symbol he was in the '70s, but the message and the music remained the same.



The following is an edited version of his interview with CNN.



CNN: For a lot of people, it's not only the music but what the music represents. Hearing the old Cat Stevens songs makes people feel warm and fuzzy, a throwback to a simpler time.



Yusuf: That's true, and that's why we gave a sprinkling of those songs. When I want to see Paul McCartney, I'd expect to hear "Eleanor Rigby" -- something from the past -- because there's something about that that we connect with, and a person becomes part of our life. And I am a part of a lot of people's lives, and my words have resounded in a lot of people's philosophies and the way they look at things, and that's great. Somehow, that's one of the reasons I took life and songwriting very seriously.



CNN: But you gave it up for a while.



Yusuf: At a certain point I said, "I've got more living to do," and I stopped making music, and I started living.



CNN: Many people don't think they start living until they HAVE the fame and fortune. But you didn't start living until you gave it up.



Yusuf: It's true. I was very normal -- in some sense, a very shy person. I had to become a persona. I had to kind of put it on a little bit, and therefore I retreated a little bit at a certain point in my career because I thought, "I can't do this."



So I just became withdrawn, and then people say, "Well, the guy's a bit of a recluse, you know." The fact was, I was just a little bit scared of being out there!



And I wanted to be sincere, as well. It wasn't easy to be sincere in the music business.



CNN: I think a lot of people were surprised when you converted
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