Chinese nervously agree to Dylan gigs

Read Time:1 Minute, 32 Second

Bob Dylan is performing two concerts in China in the coming week. His first ever visit. He plays in Beijing on Wednesday, the other will be in Shanghai – they had to be approved by the national Ministry of Culture. Officials said the singer would have to strictly abide by an agreed playlist.

Getting permission for the US musician to play in China was not easy. The authorities have been wary of foreign performers, particularly since the Icelandic singer Bjork signaled her support for Tibetan independence at a concert in Shanghai in 2008. Since then officials appear to have tightened the rules surrounding performances by foreign artists.

Fans will have to pay 980 yuan ($150) for tickets, as much as a monthly salary for some people in the Chinese capital.

In the 1960s Dylan’s songs Blowing In the Wind and Times They Are A Changing became anthems for the counter-culture and the anti-war movement in the US.

Dylan was adopted by Chinese dissidents in the 1980s as they strived to change their own times. China did change, but not as the protesters wanted. Free speech and democracy still seem a long way off and since the economic boom, the majority of Chinese are aping their American counterparts by creating a culture of self-absorption and the importance of me.

For the past 20 years, the road has been constant. He tours endlessly and the 70 year-old Bob Dylan still continues to amaze musically, just because he will probably not be allowed to sing his protests songs, does not mean that some subtle message to dissidents will not be slipped into the playlist. His 21st century recordings are mellow and bristling with superb musicianship. He is smarter than any Ministry of Culture and he will leave his mark on China, whether they know it or not.