The Rolling Stones first concert in China
Background
On April 8, 2006, The Rolling Stones held their first ever performance in China. The concert occurred 3 years after the tour they originally planned was delayed by the SARS epidemic.[1][2] The tour was promoted by China-based Entertainment Company Emma Entertainment led by then CEO Jonathan Krane.[3] The Stones performed at the Shanghai Grand Theater in front of an audience of 8,000 people.[2] The show was completely sold out, with ticket prices varying from $36 to $360.[2] The Rolling Stones had to obtain approval for their set list from China's Ministry of Culture and were prohibited from playing 5 songs including "Brown Sugar," "Beast of Burden," "Let's Spend the Night Together," and "Honky Tonk Woman."[4][5] The Chinese rock pioneer Cui Jian opened the show and then later returned to the stage to join Mick Jagger for a performance of "Wild Horses" which was the 5th song in the set.[5]
The Shanghai performance became part of the Bigger Bang Tour which was The Stone's most attended tour in history with attendance surpassing 4 million people.[1] From August 2005 to August 2007, the tour generated revenue of $558,255,524 with tickets sold surpassing 4.68 million.[6]
Cultural impact
The concert was held during the lead-up to the 2008 Beijing Olympics when the Chinese government decided that it needed to open the country to live international content "as a sort of massive rehearsal before the games."[7] While some critics said the high-ticket prices were prohibitive for local Chinese music fans,[5] the participation of artists such as Cui Jian marked a major symbolic milestone for Chinese rock 'n' roll fans.[8] The Rolling Stones returned to play at the Shanghai Mercedes-Benz Arena in China in 2014.[9] The popularity of rock 'n' roll in China still endures as evidenced by the proliferation of numerous rock festivals in China such as the Beijing pop festival which was started 1 year after The Rolling Stones first performance.[10]
Setlist
Source:[11]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Start Me Up" | 3:33 |
| 2. | "You Got Me Rocking" | 3:36 |
| 3. | "Oh No, Not You Again" | 3:46 |
| 4. | "Bitch" | 3:36 |
| 5. | "Wild Horses" | 5:42 |
| 6. | "Rain Fall Down" | 4:54 |
| 7. | "Midnight Rambler" | 6:52 |
| 8. | "Gimme Shelter" | 4:30 |
| 9. | "Tumbling Dice" | 3:46 |
| 10. | "This Place Is Empty" | 3:16 |
| 11. | "Happy" | 3:04 |
| 12. | "Sympathy for the Devil" | 6:16 |
| 13. | "Miss You" | 4:48 |
| 14. | "It's Only Rock 'n' Roll (but I Like It)" | 5:08 |
| 15. | "Paint It Black" | 3:22 |
| 16. | "Jumpin' Jack Flash" | 3:42 |
| 17. | "You Can't Always Get What You Want" | 7:28 |
| 18. | "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" | 3:42 |
References
- ^ a b "The Rolling Stones China 2006 show by IORR". iorr.org. Retrieved 2022-12-09.
- ^ a b c Schwankert, Steven (2006-03-01). "Stones roll to China". Variety. Retrieved 2022-12-09.
- ^ "Rolling Stones Rolls to Shanghai". www.china.org.cn. Retrieved 2022-12-09.
- ^ "Stones finally roll into China - but fail to start a cultural revolution". the Guardian. 2006-04-09. Retrieved 2022-12-09.
- ^ a b c French, Howard W. (2006-04-09). "In a First, the Stones Rock China, but Hold the Brown Sugar". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-12-09.
- ^ "Rolling Stones' Tour Breaks Attendance Records - Huliq". 2022-12-04. Retrieved 2022-12-09.
- ^ Krane, Jonathan Adam (2022). The China Dream: How the Aspirations of Government, Business, and People are Driving the Greatest Transformation in History. BenBella Books, Inc. p. 3. ISBN 9781637741016.
- ^ Giles, Jeff. "The Day the Rolling Stones Played Their First Show in China". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 2022-12-09.
- ^ Stubbs, D. (2014, March 13). The Rolling Stones return to China, with setlist reflecting government censorship. NME. Retrieved June 10, 2022, from https://www.nme.com/news/music/the-rolling-stones-114-1246866
- ^ "Beijing Pop Festival - China.org.cn". beijing.english.china.org.cn. Retrieved 2022-12-09.
- ^ "The Rolling Stones Setlist at Shanghai Grand Stage, Shanghai". setlist.fm. Retrieved 2022-12-09.