Bob Dylan's long-rumoured mainland tour may finally take place next month after censors approved concerts by the iconic singer-songwriter in Beijing and Shanghai.
The approval confounds speculation that Dylan - whose songs have put music to popular protests and revolutions since the 1960s - would not be welcomed by mainland censors jittery about the risk of North African-inspired unrest.
However, the approval notice posted on the Ministry of Culture's website on Thursday warned promoter Gehua Live Nation to ensure proper 'supervision' of the concerts.
'Please carry out performances strictly according to the approved content,' the notice said.
Talk of Dylan adding the mainland to his 'never-ending tour' has been blowing in the wind for over a year, but had largely been dismissed as rumour after two planned concerts were cancelled in March last year amid controversy about censorship and costs. But tickets to two shows - at Beijing Workers' Stadium on April 6 and the Shanghai Grand Stage on April 8 - are now on sale via a number of online box offices.
The two shows were first announced last month on the website of ISIS magazine, a journal for Dylan fans, but were not included on the singer's official website last night.
It does not list any performances between a show in Taipei on April 3 and his appearance in Hong Kong on April 12. The culture ministry notice only made reference to a show in Beijing, specifying that Dylan and his 24-member entourage were cleared to perform in the capital between March 30 and April 12.
