07/04 Chinese fans charmed and puzzled by Bob Dylan at Beijing debut

English.news.cn 2011-04-07 01:28:58

U.S. singer Bob Dylan (R) performs on stage at the Workers' Gymnasium in Beijing, capital of China, April 6, 2011. The American music icon kicked off his first-ever China concert in Beijing Wednesday night. (Xinhua/Huang Zhen)

BEIJING, April 6 (Xinhua) -- American music legend Bob Dylan on Wednesday night made a smooth debut in Beijing, heralding his long-awaited Chinese mainland concerts to mark the energetic artist's 50 years on the performance stage.

Dylan, who will turn 70 in May, played 17 songs ending with "Forever Young" to a nearly packed audience at downtown Beijing's Workers Gymnasium.

Hundred of mesmerized fans clapped and at some points danced to the beat as Dylan band played two encores including the popular "Like A Rolling Stone."

Dylan did not talk other than introducing members of the band throughout the two-hour concert.

"It is the most moving performance I attended recently. You had expected to see a living fossil but instead saw an energetic warrior," Chinese rock star Zheng Jun said in a post on his microblog.

Cui Jian, dubbed as China's "Godfather of Rock", was also spotted in the audience. But he declined to speak to media after the concert.

The audience are mostly young Chinese Dylan fans in their 20s and 30s and a significant number of older foreigners living in China. Fans were seen clad in Dylan T-shirts while one wearing a cowboy hat.

More than 5,000-plus tickets, with minimum price set at 280 yuan (43 U.S. dollars), were sold out one day before the concert, according to Gehua Live Nation Entertainment and Sports, the Chinese promoter.