Well, that was quick. From Aerosmith Force One (Aerosmith’s official fan club), the band’s Shanghai and Taipei appearances, originally scheduled for August 21st & 24th, have been cancelled. According to the band, the cancellations are due to “uncontrollable circumstances.”
A couple of weeks ago we posted the 2013 State of the Union report regarding the live music environment. It’s a longish piece, so let’s highlight the most relevant parts:
“The biggest bath is likely to be the China debut of aging rockers Aerosmith, who have been booked to play the 23.000 capacity Hongkou Stadium in Shanghai, also in August. We can tell you (off the record of course) that the fee scales to that 23,000 level. We can’t imagine what the promoter was thinking, but this is going to be a painful lesson for someone, and while we can’t necessarily throw accusatory glances at the band for accepting, we can’t imagine it will be fun playing to a quarter filled venue.”
We’re no Cassandras, just speaking from experience observing and promoting shows in China. Couple this announcement with this photograph from this past weekend’s Shanghai Sonic festival only reinforces concerns that although the idea of live music in China is rapidly growing, the glut of international “talent” incoming this fall and the prices the tickets command is still far too high for domestic consumers. This is even before addressing questions of interest in these performers from domestic audiences.
