Ushering China

Usher will make his China concert debut July 11 at the Wukesong Arena in Beijing.

The show, which has already been approved by the Chinese authorities, is being presented by a company called 8th Round headed by Adam Wilkes and David He.

Wilkes previously worked with China West, Emma Entertainment and Ticketmaster before all those concerns either folded or left China.

In eight years he has promoted more than 100 concerts in China, including shows by Celine Dion, Linkin Park and Black Eyed Peas.

So far, 8th Round has mostly been involved in bringing international sporting events to China, including an NBA exhibition game between the Indiana Pacers and the Denver Nuggets, and the Harlem Globetrotters 2009 China tour.

The China Music Radar blog notes that Wilkes’ reemergence on the concert scene is a “big deal” because, outside of the Shanghai Expo, there has been a “lack of big international stars” on China’s concert stages lately.