 Ageing rock band Bon Jovi has had the plug pulled on its first concerts in China after officials learnt that a picture of the Dalai Lama had featured in a video backdrop in a concert five years ago. The illustrious list includes Icelandic singer Björk and Maroon 5, which had its Shanghai concert cancelled earlier this year. China regards the Tibetan spiritual leader as a separatist due to his calls for autonomy for the Himalayan region. The Communist party’s Culture Ministry acted after discovering that Bon Jovi once included a picture of the Dalai Lama in a video backdrop during a concert in Taiwan in 2010, according to people familiar with the matter. A representative from AEG, the promoter of the Bon Jovi concerts in China, said it was unable to comment on the cancellation order as it was waiting for more information. As part of the celebrations, a top Chinese official vowed on Monday to “crack down on separatist forces” in Tibet and “fight a protracted battle” against the “Dalai clique”.
– It seems the Dalai Lama has indirectly led to the disappointment of Chinese concertgoers once again. One week before Bon Jovi was to play a three-city tour of China—the band's first-ever shows in the country—two of the shows were mysteriously canceled, the Washington Post reports. This despite Jon Bon Jovi having already recorded a love song in Mandarin for the occasion. Concert promoter AEG Live Asia cited "unforeseen circumstances," but reports are putting the blame on China's Ministry of Culture, which pulled Bon Jovi's permits after seeing a video of the band performing in front of images of the Dalai Lama in 2010 or 2011, reports the Financial Times. However, a 2009 Bon Jovi music video featuring images from the Tiananmen Square protest could also have been problematic, per the Post. Concert organizers are trying to get the decision reversed, but that's unlikely, notes the Times. "No words I've learned could express how crushed I am," one disappointed Chinese Bon Jovi fan posted on social media, per the Post. Chinese Maroon 5 fans know the feeling: Adam Levine and Co. also lost their permits this summer, with a band member's tweet about attending the Dalai Lama's birthday party in California the likely culprit. Taylor Swift likewise ran into trouble for planning to sell merch featuring her initials and 1989 album title; Tiananmen Square took place in 1989, notes the Post.