March 2, 2009

China Cancels Oasis Gigs Over “Free Tibet” Show

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Wow, China never forgets, huh. Beatlesy British combo Oasis have had their first ever shows in the People’s Republic of China canceled after the Chinese government revoked their performance licenses. The band’s management issued a statement saying the decision “has left both Oasis and the promoters bewildered.” But, according to Billboard magazine, band member Noel Gallagher had a deep, dark secret:

According to the promoters, officials within the Chinese Ministry of Culture only recently discovered that Noel Gallagher appeared at a Free Tibet benefit concert on Randall’s Island in New York City in 1997. Consequently, Oasis is considered unsuitable to perform in the People’s Republic of China during its 60th anniversary year.

If only it was just their 59th, right?

After the jump, a video from the band’s most recent album, the underrated Dig Out Your Soul.

Oasis – “The Shock of the Lightning”

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We just wrapped up a shorter-than-normal, urgent-as-ever fundraising drive and we came up about $45,000 short of our $300,000 goal.

That means we're going to have upwards of $350,000, maybe more, to raise in online donations between now and June 30, when our fiscal year ends and we have to get to break-even. And even though there's zero cushion to miss the mark, we won't be all that in your face about our fundraising again until June.

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Because the bottom line: Corporations and powerful people with deep pockets will never sustain the type of journalism Mother Jones exists to do. The only investors who won’t let independent, investigative journalism down are the people who actually care about its future—you.

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