Bob Dylan has a far more influential status than other foreign performers in China

Although he turns 70 in May, Dylan was spry and in good voice, rocking the harmonica and the organ with a verve that had the mostly Chinese crowd up and clapping. He moves to Shanghai for another show tomorrow.

The performance came against a backdrop of heightened political tension over the disappearance of controv
"Bob Dylan has a far more influential status than other foreign performers in China, and the social and cultural impact is greater," said Wei Ming, manager of the concerts' promoting company, Gehua LiveNation.

"Beforehand, we thought that his audience would be small, that not so many people would be into Dylan here in China, but we were completely wrong. It's not a niche audience, he has a mass following here in China," Mr Wei said.

Given that he wrote the 1960s protest classics "Blowin' in the Wind" and "The Times They Are A-Changin'", you could be forgiven for thinking Dylan would have a problem in China.

However, given that much of his music attacks US foreign policy, his repertoire would traditionally garner sympathy in Beijing. Dylan stuck to a varied set list mixing his newer work and his older work, but there was nothing that could have ruffled official feathers too much, even at a time of heightened suspicion about dissent.

"This is an absolutely commercial deal; there is no political element," Mr Wei said. "We are always organising international musicians to play in China. We did The Eagles, now Dylan and in May we will invite Avril Lavigne to come and play in Beijing and Shanghai."

Beijing has been clamping down on any form of protest because of fears of spillover from the protests shaking North Africa and the Middle East.

However, Dylan has become a lot less political in recent years, and the government has allowed some older, less risky rock standards to play in China, such as The Rolling Stones.