Pre-Cancelled: The Shows That Could Have Been in 2015
While most years we have our fair share of gigs from out-of-towners that ultimately meet their fate on the chopping board, in 2015 we were flooded with cancellations. Here’s a list of shows that could have been if things were a tad more at ease in the capital this year.
Bon Jovi
This one was controversial to say the least. Apparently a fan from Taiwan dug up a photo of Jon Bon Jovi performing a song with a particular controversial religious figure projected in the background, in order purposely get the show cancelled and moved to Taipei. We have to admire whoever made this happen for their ingenuity and ruthlessness.
Strawberry and MIDI Festivals
These two events are always the highlight of the spring festival season, but after the NYE Shanghai stampede that claimed the lives of 36 people, the government wasn’t keen on taking any chances. Any event with the word “festival” in the name would henceforth be considered a risk to the safety of China’s youth and should therefore by cancelled or suspended until further notice.
The Boys
These British punk legends were meant to do a short tour of China until the organisers got a call from the Ministry of Culture informing them that there would be no such thing. Citing concerns for “public safety and crowd control” as the reason for these cancellations, we eventually discovered there was a heavy flow of blood from a particular body part on the tour poster that could have also drawn unwanted attention to the shows. Unfortunately, the whole thing was just a little too punk for the authorities to let slide.
Boris (pictured at top)
These Japanese bastions of doom were forced to cancel both their Wuhan and Beijing shows. There were no reasons given as to why this heartbreaking outcome came to fruition, but we can all probably guess. Split Works commented that, "In keeping with the uncertain climate at the moment, it is with heavy hearts that we have to announce the cancellation of the Beijing and Wuhan shows for Boris." Their Shanghai show “unfortunately” went down without a hitch leaving us in Beijing both jealous and a little less content with our fair city.
Maroon 5
Also refreshingly pre-cancelled is Maroon 5, which I don’t even remember being announced. Not sure what the official reason was, but we’ll assume it’s “Adam Levine has vocal troubles” or “Adam Levine and his Victoria’s Secret model wife are too busy banging like animals to care” or “Adam Levine can’t remember who the other four Marooners are at this point.” Something like that.
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Email: danielkippwhittaker@thebeijinger.com
Photos: danhallman.com, matthewniederhauser.com, alternativenation.net, ents24.com, playbuzz.com
