Public Enemy, Nine Inch Nails to play Shanghai?

Yeahhhhh, boyyyyyyy!

They are playing the Beijing Pop Festival, September 8-9 in Chaoyang Park — this much appears to be confirmed. But there is a rumor (albeit a drunken one) going around that they might head down to Shanghai for a show, too. The rumor we heard has them playing at a club with a name that rhymes with "man down." This rumor should be taken very seriously. Because as you know all Shanghai music rumors come true (especially the ones we actually want to happen ... that Prince show was AWESOME).

Of course, on the off chance that Chuck and Flav and Trent don't hit the 'Hai, you may want to book a ticket to Beijing. Here are some details, via the NIN Hotline:

NIN... The 2007 Beijing Pop Festival (Sept 8 and 9, noon to 10PM) lineup has finally been confirmed on the Mainland. I assume NIN will be headlining the second night (Sunday, 9/9). The full lineup is as follows:

Nine Inch Nails
Public Enemy
Marky Ramone(Ex. Ramones)
New York Dolls
Brett Anderson(Ex.Suede)

Mumiy Troll(Russia), XTX (Xie Tian Xiao), Muma & Third Party, Brain Failure (Beijing punk band), Thin Man, Joyside, The Honeys (Shanghai indie rock), and Shelftalker.

Most of these smaller bands are local Chinese acts (aside from that one Russian band). The Honeys and Brain Failure are well-respected in the Chinese underground scene, so it should be good support. In any case, the bill-pairing of Flava Flav and Trent Reznor is something no one should miss.

Since the local government can be quite fickle with "decency" and their permit-granting, I'm hoping that the CCP doesn't get a hold of the "Closer" chorus... Until NIN takes the stage, there's always a chance that the plug will be pulled (Jay-Z had a permit snatched away at the last minute in 2006). Since this is a dream come true for me (missed the With Teeth tour because I've been living in China), I'll keep my fingers tightly crossed. More information can be found here.

Tickets are onsale now at 400-818-3333 or www.piaowutong.com. A 1-day ticket is 200 RMB (250 at the door); a 2-day pass is 380 RMB (about 50 USD).

Video is PE's "Night of the Living Baseheads" ... our favorite song from eighth grade.