BEIJING, Sept. 9 (UPI) — Bon Jovi’s first-ever concerts in China have been abruptly canceled for unspecified reasons.
Promoter AEG China announced the news Wednesday morning on Weibo, saying the company “deeply apologize[s] for any inconvenience and disappointment.” Jon Bon Jovi, 53, and his band were scheduled to perform Sept. 14 and Sept. 17 in Shanghai and Beijing, respectively.
The cancellation comes amid word the group angered the Chinese Ministry of Culture with their past use of politically-sensitive imagery. A source told the Washington Post the band’s Tianamen Square footage in their 2009 music video for “We Weren’t Born to Follow” and 2011 performance featuring a Dalai Lama portrait provoked Beijing.
Fellow American acts Maroon 5 and Taylor Swift also encountered trouble with China this summer. Maroon 5 canceled two shows amid speculation keyboardist Jesse Carmichael offended by attending the Dalai Lama’s birthday party in July, while Swift’s 1989 album merchandise is said to have caused unease due to its indirect link to the Tianamen Square protests of 1989.
Jon Bon Jovi had recorded the classic Mandarin-language song “The Moon Represents My Heart” to celebrate the band’s upcoming concerts in China. He and Bon Jovi last released Burning Bridges in August, and will kick off their accompanying Bon Jovi Live! tour Sept. 11 in Jakarta, Indonesia.
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