On April 8, 2006, The Rolling Stones played their first ever concert in mainland China, in the city of Shanghai. Now, a new documentary about the show, titled From London to Shanghai, is scheduled to premiere on The Rolling Stones’ YouTube channel on Thursday, April 11, at 8 a.m. ET.
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The film features interviews with the band’s longtime production manager, Dale “Opie” Skjerseth, and musician Cui Jian, who is considered by many to be “the Father of Chinese Rock ‘n’ Roll.” The movie offers a behind-the-scenes look at the historic concert and the preparation to bring the show to fruition.
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You can check out a trailer for From London to Shanghai on YouTube now. The promo begins with an interview segment in which Skjerseth recalls that a few days before the concert, the band was given a list of songs that they wouldn’t be allowed to play.
The clip also features archival footage of Mick Jagger and touring keyboardist Chuck Leavell talking about some of the songs The Stones were prohibited from playing, among them “Brown Sugar,” “Honky Tonk Women,” “Beast of Burden,” and “Let’s Spend the Night Together.”
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As the trailer nears its end, we hear someone off camera, possibly Keith Richards, ask Jagger if the band would be allowed to play “Bitch.” The scene then cuts to footage of The Stones onstage performing the 1971 tune at the Shanghai gig.
More About the Shanghai Concert
The Shanghai concert took place during The Stones’ world tour in support of their 2005 studio album A Bigger Bang. According to Setlist.fm, the band played 18 songs at the show. The set was mainly made up of classic Stones tunes, and also included three songs from A Bigger Bang—“Oh No, Not You Again,” “Rain Fall Down,” and “This Place Is Empty.”
The Rolling Stones’ 2024 Tour Plans
The film will premiere just a couple weeks before The Rolling Stones will kick off their 2024 tour in support of their latest album, Hackney Diamonds.
As previously reported, the 19-date North American trek gets underway on April 28 in Houston, and is plotted out through a July 17 show in Santa Clara, California.
The tour will include a May 2 performance at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. The band also will play multiple shows at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey; Soldier Field in Chicago; and SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.
Tickets for The Rolling Stones’ concerts are available now via various outlets, including StubHub.
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