Elton Speaks Out In China

Near the beginning of his two-hour Nov. 25 concert at the Wukesong Arena in Beijing, Elton John dedicated the performance to “the spirit and talent” of Chinese artist and dissident Ai Weiwei, whom John had met briefly the same day.

According to various media reports, the reaction to the dedication by the 12,000 people in the audience was not applause but rather a low-key mumbling that seemed to reflect discomfort or shock.

Ai is an outspoken critic of the Chinese authorities, who, in response, have prevented him from traveling outside the country to attend exhibitions of his work.

He was once jailed for 81 days without being charged and faces a possible jail sentence on a tax evasion complaint that he denies.

Not surprisingly, there was no mention of the dedication by state-controlled Chinese media, though English-language music blog China Music Radar posted a message indicating that, while everyone appreciates Ai’s efforts, the dedication could very well lead to even greater scrutiny “for international artists wanting to come and play China and subsequently less variety and frequency of shows.”

Ever since Bjork upset the government by shouting “Tibet” at a concert in Shanghai in 2008, the relevant authorities have trained a wary eye on foreign artists and demand that performers submit lists of songs to be approved before tours can be approved. There’s a good possibility John won’t be able to play in China again.

As for Ai’s reaction, he had written before the performance on his Twitter feed, which is banned in China but nevertheless has 180,000 followers, “I super like him.”

Then, later, he told the South China Morning Post that he was moved by the dedication.

“I was quite surprised and deeply touched,” he said to the paper by phone. “I am very impressed by his free spirit. He was very honorable and decent in what he did.”

He added, “The message is clear: People’s hearts and minds belong to freedom, and no power or authority can take that away.”