Aerosmith cancels Shanghai concert

Legendary rock band Aerosmith have been forced to cancel their Shanghai and Taipei gigs due to a local promoter's inability to meet contractual obligations.

"It is with sincere regret that Aerosmith has announced that it must cancel two previously scheduled festival gigs," the band wrote in a statement on their official website. The two gigs were originally scheduled on Aug. 21 in Shanghai and Aug. 24 in Taipei.

"Aerosmith shares the disappointment of their supportive fans in Shanghai and Taipei and they hope to see them soon," the statement continued.

Aerosmith is supposed to make its debut China show at the outdoor space of Shanghai Hongkou Stadium, which can hold 25,000 people, on Aug. 21. The band's statement does not elaborate on the contractual obligations promoters haven't met.

Aerosmith would have been yet another mega band to rock Shanghai during what has probably been the city's busiest Western music season this summer -- after Metallica just having finished two consecutive nights at a fully-packed Mercedes-Benz Arena on Aug 13 and 14. 

"We are extremely upset to have disappointed our dedicated fans," said Steven Tyler, lead singer of Aerosmith. "They have welcomed us into their country and due to uncontrollable circumstances we will not be able to perform. We were so excited to share our music with them and look forward to one day returning and giving them the show they deserve."

"We're disappointed as we wanted to play for our fans," lead guitarist Joe Perry said. "We've looked forward to this for a lifetime."

"It's always been a dream of ours to play in Shanghai and Taipei, and meet our fans there," Tom Hamilton, bassist with Aerosmith, added.

ShiningOn Culture Co Ltd, promoter of the Aerosmith concert, set the highest price for Aerosmith's Shanghai at 2,680 yuan (US$438.26), which was complained by many industry insiders that the price is too high for average music fans. The promoter has not yet officially announced that the concert has been cancelled.

"I always think that certain promoters don't understand the market, even fans know more than them," Alan Xu, a media reporter said on his micro blog.

"It is a heavy blow for China's rock music market, which looks good but is not," Jiang Wei, CEO of GuitarChina.com, the biggest guitar and music website of China, said, "The presale of Aerosmith is less than 1 million yuan (US$163,532), which cannot even afford the air tickets for the band and its crew. If it continues, the promoter will suffer from more financial loss."

The cancellation news came just two days before the concert, the promoter hasn't issued any statement while Aerosmith themselves have. "The promoter has not said anything about it!" said Sun Mengjin, a famous music critic. "Do you really consider fans who came from other parts of China? They have booked flights and hotels. Please also think for fans' interests, not just yours."

Aerosmith was founded in Boston in 1970. Its members have remained unchanged since 1984, including lead vocal Steven Tyler, guitarists Joe Perry and Brad Whitford, bassist Tom Hamilton and drummer Joey Kramer. Aerosmith has sold more than 150 million albums worldwide, making it one of the best-selling rock bands in the United States.

"I'm disappointed we weren't able to play for our fans in China, however the circumstances were beyond our control," Joey Kramer said. "I sincerely hope Aerosmith will get another opportunity to come back to Shanghai and Taiwan to play for our many fans there."