WSJ Alleges AEG Bon Jovi Sabotage

The Wall Street Journal published a story alleging AEG Live had leaked a video of Bon Jovi “performing in front of an image of the Dalai Lama” to Chinese censors so that the company could avoid paying the artist $4 million.

Photo: AP Photo / Tatan Syuflana

Stadion Utama Gelora Bung Karno, Jakarta, Indonesia

The Chinese government believes the Dalai Lama is working for Tibetan independence, and reportedly canceled two concerts that Bon Jovi was to play last year in China after learning of the video. According to the article, advance ticket sales for the shows were “soft,” and executives of show promoter AEG Live worried it would lose money if they went ahead.

Bon Jovi would still have to be paid its $4 million guarantee, so by having the shows canceled by the government, AEG could invoke a “force majeur” insurance clause. The article says that AEG’s fortunes in China, where it operates two large venues, haven’t been as good as they expected.

In its own report, Amplify Media raises questions about the WSJ claims, which AEG Live has refuted.

Amplify says that the WSJ reporters offer no evidence to back their assertions, and then wonders if the story was a “plant” to embarrass AEG. The news site mentions that AEG owner Phil Anschutz appeared on a panel with the Dalai Lama earlier this year, which wouldn’t make sense if he had used the Dalai Lama for the purposes WSJ alleges.