埃尔顿约翰北京演唱会向艾未未致意

Elton John struck a note of support for dissident artist Ai Weiwei at his show in Beijing Sunday night. But did he also strike a blow at China’s live music scene?

埃尔顿·约翰(Elton John)在周日晚上的北京演唱会上表达了对异见艺术家艾未未的支持。不过，他的这一举动会对其他音乐人在中国举办现场音乐会产生不利影响吗？

Mr. John dedicated the show “to the spirit and talent of Ai Weiwei, reported the Associated Press. The British singer also took time to meet with Mr. Ai, who posted photos of the encounter on Twitter and called him “a lovely musician.

据美联社(Associated Press)报道，约翰当时说，将这场音乐会献给艾未未的精神和才华。这位英国歌手还抽时间与艾未未见了面，后者在推特(Twitter)上公布了两人见面的照片，说约翰是个“可爱的乐人。

Mr. Ai is a continued thorn in the side of Beijing authorities. An increasingly vocal critic of the government in recent years, the artist was detained for 81 days without being charged last year amid a broader crackdown on criticism. He has also battled local tax authorities over their claims that he owes them a $2.4 million fine for tax evasion.

艾未未现在仍被中国政府视为眼中钉。近年来，这位艺术家对中国政府的批评越来越直言不讳。去年，在一场范围较广的压制批评声音的行动中，艾未未被拘留了81天，但没有被提起任何指控。此外，中国税务部门曾声称艾未未因逃税需缴纳1,500万元的罚款。对此，艾未未表示否认并进行了抗争。

Should the authorities take umbrage, Mr. John’s public shout-out to Mr. Ai could have ramifications for other musicians hoping to perform in China. Four years ago, China’s cultural minders clamped down on public performances after Icelandic twee pixie standard bearer Bjork shouted “Tibet! Tibet! during a performance in Shanghai. The result was a dearth of major live shows in China from globally recognized artists in recent years no offense meant, Roxette ─ though the local scene remains vibrant.

如果中国政府心生不快，那么约翰公开表示对艾未未的支持就可能会对其他希望在中国开演唱会的音乐家产生影响。四年前，冰岛歌手比约克(Bjork)在上海举办演唱会时曾高呼“西藏！西藏！此后，中国文化监管部门对公开演出进行了打压，其结果是近年来鲜有全球知名艺术家在中国举办大型现场演出──这样说并非是对罗克赛特乐队(Roxette)的冒犯，尽管中国本地的摇滚音乐会演出依然活跃。

The issue also led to increased scrutiny of Bob Dylan’s playlist when he performed in Beijing last year. (He said the government had no involvement in what he played.)

比约克事件导致去年鲍勃·迪伦(Bob Dylan)在北京开演唱会时受到严格检查。(他说，中国政府管不了他唱什么歌。)

Some on the Sina Weibo microblogging service on Monday worried about the impact. “Bjork, Elton John, I hate you, wrote one poster. “Next year to see anything we’ll have to go to Hong Kong.

周一，有网友在新浪微博上对这件事的影响表示担心。一位网友写道：Bjork，Elton John，我恨你?……明年要看啥又只能跑香港了。