Now that all the fuss and excitement surrounding Robin Gibb and Air Supply has died down, what do we have to live for during the coming cold and brutal winter months in Shanghai? In addition to our beloved electric blankets and space heaters, there's going to be a little something for everyone to look forward to as we plunge into the cold. more ›

We wonder if anyone in Shanghai will have a similar, albeit much less visceral, reaction when they learn that Robin Gibb is playing a show in Shanghai ... again. Gibb played Shanghai in May as part of his Magnetic Tour. Now he's playing November 18 at Shanghai Grand Stage ... as part of his Magnetic Tour. Tickets will range from RMB 280 to 2,280. We're sure this will appease all those jilted Robbie Williams and Jay-Z fans out there. We wonder if the Robin Gibb party bus will cruise the streets of Shanghai like it did in May -- anyone else see that? more ›

It's good to see that Shanghai isn't the only major Chinese city with major problems getting foreign music stars to take the stage these days (no offense, Air Supply). Down in Hong Kong, Mariah Carey's concert scheduled for this weekend was canceled. Why? Depends on who you ask. The promoter says the show got canned because Carey made "specific last-minute demands which we find wholly unreasonable and not with the best interests of Hong Kong, us and also the fans." They also said only 4,000 tickets for the show had been sold. Carey's manager, of course, disputes these claims. He said 8,000 tickets were sold and the reason the show won't go on is because the promoter failed to pay Carey money that was owed to her. "If there were only 10 people in this venue, and this particular promoter ... had fulfilled his contractual obligations, we would be there," he said. "Mariah Carey loves her fans in Southeast Asia." Hmmmm. But what about China? more ›

We here at Shanghaiist are experiencing quite a bit of Robbie Williams "Deja Vu." BonBon -- the club behind Jay-Z's supposed after party (we also heard Attica was working on the after party ... go figure) -- are stating that Jay-Z will NOT perform in Shanghai due to his "lyrical content." more ›

We hear the voices everywhere we go in Shanghai. "Yo, I heard Jay-Z's gonna be in Shanghai" ... "Jay-Z is on October 23rd" ... "Hov will be in Shanghai for a show and maybe even try to open up a 40/40 Club (He's got one in Singapore, he can fly his private jet to the Middle Kingdom easily)." Yes, the rumors of the Jiggaman coming to town are out (we told you about it back in August) ... But is Young Hov REALLY coming to town? more ›

Londonist answers the questions "How much is a cab from London to Marrakech?", and "Can a monkey blog?", as well as asks "What kind of guy can get shot in the knee then cycle to the hospital?" more ›

Two days ago, we told you this would happen. Now it looks like the news is officially official. From Shanghai Daily: more ›

Even if Robbie Williams decides not to come to Shanghai, at least we know it's not because he didn't receive the requisite approval from the Culture Bureau. We hadn't seen these until they showed up on our RSS reader -- copies of the documents from the Culture Bureau granting permission to foreign acts to come to Shanghai. For example, here's the one for Williams, which specifies when he's to come and perform, and how many people are allowed to come total. This is what the Chinese document looks like: more ›

Robbie Williams has hinted that he wants to quit singing -- but could that happen before his scheduled gig in Shanghai? Some local magazines have been given a heads up that the show might be off. And the show's local promoter has taken mention of the show off its website. more ›

We admittedly don't know much about Robbie Williams' music -- we lived a sheltered existence in the United States from 1973 to 2002 -- but we do know the guy is huge (as in a huge megastar ... not in any other way ... as far as we know). We also know he is coming to Shanghai on November 4 -- and that show also will be huge. Some 26,000 people are expected to pack Hongkou Stadium. That's not too shabby. Earlier this year, we called the Black Eyed Peas playing Shanghai a "historic moment" because they were the first major contemporary foreign act at the height of their celebrity to stage a show in the city. Scratch that. This is the historic moment. more ›

UPDATE: Show canceled? more ›

Admittedly, we attended the Black Eyed Peas show with a detached sense of superiority -- but ask anyone, even those of us who don’t “get” hip-hop, it was, to quote the girl behind us, “a show that made my summer”. Parts of the show that made us forget about those annoying glow sticks? more ›