By Jeffrey Wasserstrom This posting about the politics of pop concerts in Shanghai is mostly about an American duo (Jan and Dean), whose hits included “Surf City,” and the hard-to-categorize Icelandic songstress Bjork, who last week made headlines and drew the ire of the Chinese state by saying the words “Tibet, Tibet” after performing a song called “Declare Independence" (on the heels of which, there was apparent tinkering with Harry Connick Jr.'s song list at......

During the golden week, Shanghaiist published the rumor that world class diva Christina Aguilera (the artist formally known as X-tina) would be coming to Shanghai to belt out some of her latest hits. At the time of the announcement, Ms. Aguilera was awaiting approval from the Shanghai government censors, something Jay-Z is very familiar with. At the time, Shanghaiist was "praying on every dumpling" that the censors would approve the concert because we are big......

We don't want to say we're starved for good live rock music in Shanghai ... but we are starved for good live rock music in Shanghai. Live here long enough and you gradually forget exactly how good it feels to stand up near the stage and get lost in a rock band that knows exactly what they are doing, a band you would pay to see even if you weren't living in China, a......

It's funny all the flap that was made here about the lyrical content of certain Rolling Stones and Eric Clapton songs, not to mention visa/vulgarity issues for Jay-Z and others, yet Roger Waters slips under the radar and delivers a long, loud set full of blatant references to just about everything that the authorities were presumably guarding against. Who knows, perhaps his lyrics were screened and his set-list given the thumbs up. For the sake......

Yes, that Cui Jian. The godfather of Chinese rock. The one some call "China's Bruce Springsteen." The guy they put on the cover of the first Chinese Rolling Stone. The guy who last year shared a Shanghai stage and accompanied (kind of) Mick Jagger and the Rolling Stones. Yes, that guy is playing an intimate gig Monday night at JZ Club, and we wouldn't have known about it had we not walked past the place......

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. Next Friday, Christmas is going to come early for fans of contemporary Christian......

So everyone is reporting what we warned you about. Here's what the AP said: China's Culture Ministry has nixed a concert this month by rap artist Jay-Z at Shanghai's Hongkou Stadium, citing a need to protect local hip-hop fans from nasty lyrics, a report said Wednesday. "Some of Jay-Z's songs contain too much vulgar language," the state-run Shanghai Daily newspaper quoted Sun Yun, of promoter KS Production Co., in explaining the ministry's reason for refusing......

If you made it as far as page 75 in the June issue of That's Shanghai, congratulations: You're almost halfway there. And if you've seen page 75, you've noticed that it was an ad for pop/hip-hop group Black Eyed Peas, who are bringing their Monkey Business Tour to Shanghai's Grand Stage on July 20. (Monkey Business the album came out almost exactly a year ago and received an average score of 45 out of 100......

Our guess: two. By now, you have likely heard of Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards and his run-in with a coconut tree. But did you know he almost suffered what sounds like it could have been a much more serious head injury in Shanghai? On stage? Danwei has the dirt: The onstage incident, which has not been reported in the traditional media, occurred during the encore. The Stones had cruised through their hit-heavy set, largely......

... you might as well put the Rolling Stones on the cover. We were walking past our local newsstand on the way to the gym this morning and noticed something strange: A new issue of the Chinese Rolling Stone (well, it didn't say "Rolling Stone," but it felt like Rolling Stone). This was strange to us because we thought the plug had been pulled on China's Rolling Stone after its first issue. We stopped following......

Watch the Rolling Stones play "You Can't Always Get What You Want" and "Satisfaction" during the encore performance from their Shanghai concert earlier this month. The camera work is, obviously, amateurish and very shaky. And the video fades in and out several times due to, we guess, video time limits on the camera that was used to record. Still, it's obvious that the atmosphere is electric in the place, Mick Jagger appears to be nowhere......

Tim Kao, musician...

We didn't go to the Rolling Stones concert last night. And we have only heard from one person who did go, second hand at that. Here's the message we received today: my mate said the stones were ho-hum. bad sound. late start. no cabs at the end and rain. no beer. but mick jagger pretty strong performance. The Associated Press, the AFP and Reuters all had people at the show. They all talked about the......

There's a whole wide world out there, and here's the proof: DCist revels in The University of Maryland's basketball triumphs, marvels at Metro's security strategy, and applauds DC local Katie Couric's new gig. Phillyist is all about the Philadelphia Film Festival. OK, not all about -- they still have time for loitering, underage sex, and random wacky news. LAist would have to send a camera around the world to get shots as bizarre as Katie's......

The Rolling Stones arrived in Shanghai yesterday and the media noticed. We read a couple of these stories before we got bored. The San Francisco Chronicle reports on how a "mix of censorship, daunting bureaucracy and an immature commercial market" make Mainland China a "wasteland" (read, Michael Bolton, Elton John, Backstreet Boys, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, etc.) when it comes to an international music scene. The story says 65 to 70 percent of the Rolling......

Looks like they spoke to someone at Shanghai Daily by phone. And then the author referred to them in the story as "inimitable front man Mick 'The Lips' Jagger and original axe man Keith 'I'm Still Alive' Richards," who was later referred to in the story as "Keef." Here are their quotes that have something to do with playing in Shanghai: Jagger: I'm really excited. We all know that Shanghai is a big important city......

Hide your women and children -- yes, we're talking to you, Lennox Lewis -- Mike Tyson is coming to town. We told you about this several days ago, and reports from elsewhere are now starting to trickle in. (It could be just that people don't care, but, for Shanghaiist, at least, Tyson was a childhood sports hero. We actually got teary eyed during his loss to Buster Douglas, and, in the years that followed, got......

Many news sources are reporting what could be the first bird flu death in Shanghai. Ms. Li, a 29-year-old migrant worker, "died of pneumonia of unknown causes." The news was first reported on state TV Thursday night. You can watch the report here. In a well-timed story, Xinhua today is reporting that "H5N1 virus prefers to settle in cells deep within the lungs, rather than in the upper respiratory tract, as happens with human flu......

A one-way ticket on the Shanghai-Hangzhou maglev will cost 150 yuan. The story also says that a plane ticket to Hangzhou only costs 200 kuai. Is that true? And if so, how long could that flight possibly last?The kitten stomper has apologized. She said she's divorced and depressed and that led to her savage murder of another living creature. Someone needs to take a cleaver and lop off that woman's head.Mopeds can rest easy in......

Following up on our Rolling Stones story from yesterday, a commenter alerted us to the fact that the Rolling Stones Shanghai concert listing has been removed from the Emma Ticket website. That indeed appears to be true. We don't know why this has happened. But it seems you can still preorder tickets from elsewhere -- like Shanghai Spring Travel. This site confirms the show is "confirmed." But we still can't find any mention of a......

Looks like our sources were correct. What has been unofficially official for some time now, is now officially official (kind of) -- the Rolling Stones are headed to Shanghai: The rock greats will play Shanghai's Grand Stage, an 8,000-seat converted indoor stadium, on April 8, according to an announcement from Emma Entertainment. "The Rolling Stones first-ever concert in China, do not miss it," the Beijing-based company said on its Web site. Tickets range from $38-$375,......

Are English-only signs in Shanghai discriminatory? Or is it just called knowing your customer base?Two new human bird flu cases in China. Threat said to be "massive." Will the Rolling Stones still come?Elizabeth II -- the world's oldest ocean liner, not the queen -- is headed to Shanghai this March.Fake emissions decals for cars are harder to find in Shanghai as police have started cracking down, even seizing cars.Think this guy trains at Shanghai's indoor......

James Brown might be the Hardest Working Man in Show Business, but yesterday Shanghaiist felt like the Hardest Working Man in Shanghai. Which is why this post is a day late. And because we were recovering from the "Sex Machine" after-party at Mint. It’s safe to say that the Yunfeng Theatre up on Beijing Lu has never seen anything like it. Usually the venue for performances by an army acrobat troupe, the tired, old, two-tiered......

There are strong rumors that four Englishmen in their 60s will strut what is left of their stuff on a stage somewhere in Shanghai this April. At this point they are still just rumors, but here are some reasons why Shanghaiist believes the Rolling Stones will bring their A Bigger Bang tour to our fair city this year (unless China's "mysterious" disease du jour once again scares them away): A source within the local music......

The validity of DJ rankings can certainly be debated, and frequently is. Lucky #8 on the oft-lauded DJ Mag poll is Grammy winning Deep Dish. Ali "Dubfire" Shirazinia and Sharam Tayebi are two Americans (born in Iran) from Washington, D.C., who are among the most well-known and respected artists/producers in electronic dance music today. They hit it big with debut "Junk Science" in 1998 and have been producing and DJing consistently since then. In demand......

Shanghaiist is tired of living in a black hole of music. After our brother threatened to blackmail us if we asked him to send music AGAIN, we started thinking about alternatives. Most local shops have a selection that would suit a 13-year-old from the early 90s, but we have been able to find the Rolling Stones, Belle & Sebastian and PJ Harvey over the last three years. We got them at a stand inside the......

Rapper and hardened TV detective Ice-T has been booked[1] to play at Shanghai's Club Pegasus on July 21, alongside fellow Rhyme Syndicate member Afrika Islam. As an originator of "true story" gangsta rap, as well as the man who did battle with ultra-conservative Tipper Gore over his heavy metal band's single "Cop Killer," we can't help but admire the ambitious promoters who've orchestrated the New Jack Hustler's impending arrival in China. Just two years ago,......