'Outdated superstar' to make local debut
12/8/2005 9:08
Shanghai Daily news Two-time Grammy winner Michael Bolton
will make his debut on the Chinese mainland in December, making him the most
recent in a string of "outdated superstars" to visit the city, according to one
local critic.
Bolton will perform shows in Shanghai and Beijing. The Shanghai
concert will be staged at the Shanghai Grand Stage on December
12.
"White-collar workers, college students and expats are expected to make
up the majority of the audience," estimated an employee of Shanghai Arts
Corporation, which is organizing the Shanghai concert.
Ticket prices will
range between 180 yuan (US$22) and 1,080 yuan.
"I don't think the organizers
know very much about the current trends in Western pop music - they have invited
another outdated 'superstar'," said Sun Mengjin, a famous music critic in town.
He compared the show to local concerts by Mariah Carey in 2003 and a 2004 show
by Whitney Houston.
"It's true that singers like Michael Bolton and Mariah
Carey have once played a dominant role in the world's pop music scene, but they
are no longer the highlights of today's market," said Sun.
"To them, coming
to China is only an opportunity to show off their singing prowess and carry back
a lot of money."
While Sun isn't exited by the announced show, he concedes it
will probably do "not bad" at the box office, as "there are still many old fans
of him in the city, who listened to Bolton's songs when they were young."
The
52-year-old singer, songwriter had a series of hit in the 1980s and 1990s. He
has sold more than 52 million albums and singles worldwide, and won the Grammy
for Best Male Vocalist in 1990 and 1992.
|
