Jon Bon Jovi performs in concert with his band Bon Jovi in Philadelphia.
Cancelations of concerts in Shanghai and Beijing won’t affect Bon Jovi’s performances in Macau. The band is scheduled to perform at The Venetian’s Cotai Arena on September 25 and 26.
The Times contacted Sands China inquiring whether the cancelation of the mainland shows would have repercussions for Bon Jovi’s concerts in Macau. “At this stage, I can tell you the Bon Jovi concerts in Macau will go ahead as planned,” said Donna Campbell, director of public relations at Sands China Ltd.
In June, when the concerts were announced, Sands China’s Dave Horton said, “Bon Jovi are a global phenomenon and this announcement is more evidence of our continuing commitment to Macau.”
The Cotai concerts are a co-promotional event presented by The Venetian Macao and AEG Live.
However, Bon Jovi’s shows in China, which were scheduled for next week, have been canceled because of what promoters have called “unforeseen reasons.”
AEG Live Asia declined to give a reason for the cancelation, but said in a statement on Tuesday that refunds will be offered for the shows, which were scheduled for September 14 in Shanghai and September 17 in Beijing. AEG also apologized “for the inconvenience and disappointment that this will cause.” A representative for Jon Bon Jovi has yet to reply to an email seeking comment.
The Financial Times newspaper reported that the shows had been called off because the Ministry of Culture had discovered that the band once included a picture of the Dalai Lama in their video backdrop during a concert in Taiwan in 2010, citing recollections from people familiar with the matter.
The ruling Communist Party is sensitive to any perceived support from foreign governments and celebrities for the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader, whom they denounce as a separatist.
A recently released video shows Jon Bon Jovi singing a famous Chinese love ballad from the 1970s in Mandarin, adding to the buzz in China around this tour. Chinese fans have expressed their disappointment and anger on social media, with some complaining that they had even booked airline tickets and taken time off work to see the concerts.
Authorities have tightened scrutiny over foreign musicians performing in China after Icelandic singer Bjork shouted “Tibet, Tibet” following a song called “Declare Independence” at a Shanghai performance in 2008. A concert by U.S. pop group Maroon 5 scheduled for Saturday in Shanghai was canceled in July following an alleged tweet by a band member about meeting the Dalai Lama.
The announcement of the Bon Jovi cancelations came on the same day as the Communist Party held grand celebrations in the Tibetan capital of Lhasa to mark 50 years since it established Tibet as an ethnic autonomous region firmly under Beijing’s control. MDT/AP
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