Clapton to play in Shanghai
Revered guitarist Eric Clapton is set to play in Shanghai, the latest rock legend to take the stage in China’s business and entertainment hub.
Best known for solo hits such as After Midnight and Wonderful Tonight, Clapton, 61, is scheduled to appear on January 20 at the Shanghai Grand Stage - the same venue where the Rolling Stones made their Chinese debut last April.
Ticket prices for the show run from 1,800 yuan (€178) for stage-side seats to 300 yuan (€30) for the upper balcony.
Western stars from Elton John to the late James Brown and the Black Eyed Peas have played Shanghai over recent months.
The Stones’ concert was considered the most lavish and high-profile rock show ever staged in the communist state.
Yet while such appearances point to Shanghai’s increasingly affluent and cosmopolitan profile, they also underscore some enduring limitations.
Most of the audience at the concerts have been expatriates because many Chinese remain unfamiliar with such stars or unwilling to pay high ticket prices.
