Rock Tours Target China, Face Government Interference

Some acts, like Linkin Park and NIN, were cleared with no problems. But an attempted Jay-Z concert in 2006 was nixed over concerns about vulgar lyrics. That same year, the Stones had to cut four songs from their set, including "Let's Spend the Night Together" and "Honky Tonk Women." Even if an act is approved, the government is never far behind. Before NIN's performance last fall, an official asked Trent Reznor not to mention Tibet. Lavigne was asked — "politely, but very firmly," says her manager Terry McBride — not to swear onstage when she played Shanghai last year. If a performer breaks the law, as Björk technically did, sources say promoters will have to give the government half of the box-office receipts. "You have to be very respectful of how they do things," says McBride. "You have to approach the Chinese market differently."

Another hurdle is the country's entertainment infrastructure, which remains below international standards. Many bands opt to fly in their own gear, and soundchecks can stretch on for hours. "You have to do production for every show in advance, and you have to build stages everywhere," says Archie Hamilton, a promoter who has brought Sonic Youth and Talib Kweli to China. "It's an expensive thing."

Superstar acts playing arenas can charge as much as the $250 Beyoncé did for VIP tickets to her 2007 show. But with over 128 million people living on less than a dollar a day and even financial-industry professionals making as little as $14,000 a year, many artists sell tickets for far less than they would at home. "You can't charge high prices because they're not accustomed to paying them," says CAA's Tsuchii.

Linkin Park tickets started at $12; last year's Modern Sky festival, which featured the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, charged $15; the Beijing Pop Festival cost $25. Low prices, however, don't mean that bands won't reap rewards in China. NIN made about $200,000 for their set; asked about reports that Linkin Park earned $750,000, singer Chester Bennington says, "It cost us a lot of money to play there, and we're not going to play for free."

Still, Bennington feels their trip was worth the occasional compromise. "We knew the rules," he says. "Be polite. Don't try to incite a riot. Don't be political. I'm not saying I don't believe the people of Tibet don't deserve to be free. But everywhere in the world, there's shit that needs to be better. Doesn't mean we shouldn't play rock shows there."

[From Issue 1058 — August 7, 2008]

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