Sonic Youth's gig Tuesday night in Shanghai apparently went off without a hitch-- but the night before in Beijing, things got a bit dicey for their hand-picked openers, local power-trio
Car-Sick Cars. According to Berwin Song at web publication
That's Beijing, China's Ministry of Culture-- the final word on permit-issuance for rock shows-- scrapped the Car-Sick show roughly an hour before showtime, reportedly due to Sonic Youth's involvement in the
Free Tibet cause. Sonic Youth's performance went on without incident, and they reportedly threw a shout out to the embattled Cars before their take on "Kool Thing".
A representative from Sonic Youth's camp confirmed the Car-Sick cancellation, but said SY are not commenting on the matter.
Was that SY's first time playing in China?