Reuters: George Michael had his own cultural revolution in China
BEIJING (Reuters) - It was strangely muted when George Michael, as part of the British pop duo Wham!, took the stage at the Workers Gymnasium in Beijing in April 1985, recalled one of those who attended that now legendary first Western pop act in Communist China.
Around 15,000 concert-goers watched Michael and bandmate Andrew Ridgeley sing hits such as "Careless Whisper" and "Wake Me Up Before You Go Go" – as police grimly stared at them.
"I'd never seen so many police in my life," Mao Danqing, a now well-known Chinese writer who attended the concert, told Reuters on Monday.
The security presence was so intimidating people were too timid to make any noise during the songs, Mao said.
"When you see that many police you feel terrified. Everyone sat in separate sections and each section had police lined up in front, facing the crowd," Mao said.
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WNU Editor: I can attest to this. When I was in China in the 1980s .... WHAM! was huge. I heard it everywhere, especially after their Beijing concert in 1985. They were the first major Western band to play in China .... and they will always be remembered for that. On a personal note .... in 1988 I asked Beijing for permission if I could go on a tour of the countryside of Fujian province on a small motorcycle (they agreed but I had to have 2 minders with me to insure my security .... but that is another story). I had a Walkman .... and the two tapes that I had were WHAM!'s "Make It Big" and U2's "War". Listening to that music .... on a motorcycle in the countryside of China .... especially U2's "New Year's Day" .... saying that it was surreal does not even come close to describing it.
