Rolling Stones rock censored-style

The Rolling Stones made their first-ever appearance in China on Saturday night (April 8th), at the 8,000 seat Shanghai Grand Stage. Per their agreement with the government censors, five "sexually suggestive" songs were left out of the evening's setlist -- "Brown Sugar," "Honky Tonk Women," "Rough Justice," "Beast Of Burden," and "Let's Spend The Night Together." USA Today reported that at a press conference the day before, Mick Jagger poked fun at the agreement saying, "I'm pleased the ministry of culture is doing so much to protect the morals of expatriate bankers and their girlfriends." Jagger added that the ban wouldn't affect the show, explaining that, "Fortunately, we have 400 more songs that we can play, so it's not really an issue."

Local rocker Cui Jian joined the Stones onstage for a rendition of their classic "Wild Horses."

Ticket prices for the one show averaged between $37 and $370. The state-owned China Central TV filmed the concert for broadcast at a later date.

The Stones had originally planned to play China three years ago, but cancelled the shows due to the SARS outbreak at the time.

The Rolling Stones perform on Tuesday, April 11th, in Sydney, Australia at Telstra Stadium. After they wrap up their dates down under, they'll be on the road in Europe through August.
Submit the above story to:

Del.icio.us   Digg   reddit   StumbleUpon   Facebook