Monday, September 29, 2008

International Stars Set To Rock And Groove, Shanghai

Shanghai Daily:
A bunch of hard rockers, an edgy pop-rock chick and a classy jazz crooner are set to return to the city next month to play sell-out concerts. American group Linkin Park is one of the most popular Western rock bands in China, Canadian Avril Lavigne wowed audiences in Shanghai last year while jazz diva Diana Krall has a big fan base here."We liked our experience in China last year a lot," says Linkin Park MC and vocalist Mike Shinoda. "The Shanghai concert was one of the best concerts and one we were really proud of."The band will rock the stage at Shanghai Stadium on October 12, joined by Taiwan's most popular rock band, May Day, for a three-hour non-stop concert. Each band will perform a 90-minute set."We like to choose a band with a distinctive style," Shinoda says when asked about the upcoming collaboration. "We are sure it will be interesting. We were told the majority of May Day's fans are girls while most of our fans in China are guys. So we'd like to see couples coming to our concert."The concert is also part of Linkin Park's first-ever Music For Relief tour. The band established MFR in 2005 to help aid victims of world catastrophes and combat global warming.Since its inception, the foundation has raised more than US$3 million for the victims of the tsunami tragedy in Southeast Asia, Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and the Southern California bushfires, among others and planted more than 809,000 trees to help reduce global warming.A portion of the proceeds from each ticket sold in China will be donated to the charity and the World Bank will match the total funds raised.All monies will be donated to China Development Market, an initiative by the World Bank which will distribute the funds to help tackle the consequences of the devastating earthquake in Sichuan Province on May 12.
"We feel extremely excited and proud being able to come back with our Music For Relief concerts," says Linkin Park vocalist Chester Bennington. "We hope our efforts can raise more public awareness about the reconstruction work ahead in Sichuan and really provide assistance to the victims."One of the past decade's most popular international rock bands, Linkin Park features Bennington (vocals), Shinoda (vocals), Rob Bourdon (drums), Brad Delson (guitar), Joe Hahn (DJ) and Dave "Phoenix" Farrell (bass).The group has won two Grammy Awards, for Best Hard Rock Performance in 2002 with their hit single "Crawling" and for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration with Jay-Z in 2006 for the innovative "Numb/Encore."They have sold more than 50 million records worldwide since their debut in 2000. Their debut album "Hybrid Theory" alone sold more than 18 million copies.Recognized for their adaptation of the "nu" metal and rap rock genre into a radio-friendly style in "Hybrid Theory" and "Meteora," Linkin Park explored a variety of other genres in their latest studio album, "Minutes to Midnight.""It's of crucial importance for the band to always find new inspirations before starting work on a new album," Shinoda says."This is really unique for us as we've been together as a band for 10 years and sort of recognizable in the market. However, we always want new ideas and concepts, it's in our blood."
Linkin Park and May Day
Date: October 12, 7pm
Tickets: 100-1,600 yuan
Venue: Shanghai Stadium, 666 Tianyaoqiao Rd

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