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Shanghai Surprise: The Stones Play China!

Third time might be a charm for the Rolling Stones and their long-held ambition to play a show in communist China, where they have a large fan base thanks to pirated tapes and despite the efforts of Chinese censors.

In the 1970s, they held high-level talks with Chinese officials about playing there, but were denied permission by China's strict culture czars. In 2003, they actually had shows booked, but were forced to cancel due to a SARS outbreak.

This time around, the Stones have only one show booked, in Shanghai. And they have agreed to demands from the Chinese Ministry of Culture that they omit such sexually explicit songs as "Brown Sugar" and "Let's Spend the Night Together" from their set. "They know there are differences between Chinese and Western cultures," said a spokeswoman for Emma Entertainment, which booked the concert. "They don't want to do anything against the Chinese government."

Apparently the Stones are free to play "Rough Justice" and "Start Me Up," the two songs which were partially bleeped out by NFL censors during the Super Bowl halftime show a few weeks ago.

The concert will take place at Shanghai's 8,000-seat Grand Stage on April 8th. Tickets are priced from $37 to $375. More information is available at the Emma Entertainment website (www.emma.cn).

-- The ARTISTdirect Staff
02.28.06