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And Beijing said, 'Let there be Bob Dylan'
It might actually be official -- Bob Dylan will be playing two China concerts in April
Bob Dylan gets the green light from the Ministry of Culture to play at Shanghai Grand Stage on April 8.
The approval of Dylan’s concerts in China come a year after the singer canceled proposed China tour stops. The official reason offered was a financial dispute with Dylan's Taiwanese promoter.
The promoter in turn pointed the finger at the Ministry of Culture’s demand that Dylan sign a pledge promising "not to hurt the feelings of the Chinese people" during his performances.
The “will he or won’t he” saga (read on here and here) returned anew in 2011 after Dylan fan magazine ISIS reported on its website that the U.S. singer was going to try his hand again at a China concert in 2011.
However, the China dates and tour stops were not confirmed by Bob Dylan’s official website at the time.
Permits for international music acts to play in mainland have been limited since Bjork took it upon herself to challenge the powers that be while she was in Shanghai three years ago by shouting "Tibet! Tibet!" at the end of her song: "Declare Independence."
Although Bob Dylan has never really refered to himself as a subversive artist, the Ministry of Culture might have seen his association with protest movements in the United States in the 1960s a bit differently.
Ticket prices for Bob Dylan’s China shows range from RMB 280 to RMB 1,961.411, according to WantChinaTimes, "An amount chosen to commemorate the April 11, 1961, the date of his show in New York, when he opened for John Lee Hooker at Gerde's Folk City in Greenwich Village."
"These Bob Dylan concerts are destined to be one of the year's major tours and a musical event of depth, grace and greatness," Gehua-LiveNation said in a statement.
Bob Dylan China concert tickets will go on sale through Mypiao.com.
