A Bob Dylan Set List Sanctioned by China

There was no cry of “Hello Beijing!” from 69-year-old Bob Dylan when he performed Wednesday night at the Worker’s Gymnasium in Beijing (pictured). Also missing, per an entertaining dispatch from LA Times special correspondent Benjamin Haas, were several of the troubadour’s best known songs:

Conspicuously absent from the program were “The Times They Are A-Changin'” and “Blowin’ in the Wind.” Dylan’s set list had to be sanctioned beforehand by the Ministry of Culture, which in its formal invitation decreed that he would have to “conduct the performance strictly according to the approved program.”

In an effort perhaps to stay on the good side of Chinese authorities, Dylan has made himself unavailable to foreign reporters covering the tour.