Floor seats for the band's first ever show in China, which is scheduled for April 1 at the 8,000-seat Shanghai Grand Stage, will sell for between 2,800 yuan and 3,000 yuan (US$337 to US$361) a piece, with other seats selling for 350 yuan to 1,580 yuan.

Most seats at their April 4 concert in Beijing will cost between 500 yuan and 3,000 yuan, with front row tickets going for a whopping 6,000 yuan.

By comparison, tickets for the band's 40th anniversary "Forty Licks" tour averaged US$125 in the United States.

Organizers expect most of the audience in China to be made up of middle-aged locals and expatriates.

"The high cost of the whole production, including its state-of-the-art stage setting and first-class acoustic system, sets the ticket prices," said Sharon Yuan, spokes-woman of the Xinxin Sports, one of two organizers for the Shanghai concert.

Tickets will be available at selected Maya DVD stores in Shanghai and through telephone booking at 800-820-6161.

The show in Beijing will truly be a meeting of cultures as Chinese rock pioneer Cui Jian will open for the self-described best rock band on the planet.

Promoters have not announced plans for an opening act in Shanghai.

Beijing Time New Century Entertainment Co, which will promote the Beijing show, yesterday denied rumors that all earnings from the Beijing concert will be donated to the Chinese Disabled Persons Federation.

"The fact is, we will hold a 1,000-seat dinner party on April 2 in the Beijing Hotel, and all the earnings from the dinner and an auction will be donated to the CDPF," said Chen Jixin, of Beijing Time New Century.

The auction will include memorabilia from Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and the rest of the Stones.

Organizers in Beijing are still looking for a major sponsor to help cover costs of the event, leaving them worried they may lose money on the show.

Shanghai organizers are in much better shape, however, as Heineken has signed on as a sponsor. Terms of the sponsorship deal have not been disclosed.

Promoters in Shanghai still have some red tape to navigate before April 1, however, as the Shanghai Administrative Bureau of Culture, Radio, Film and Television has yet to sign off on the concert.

(eastday.com March 4, 2003)