London, July 26 Britpop superstar Noel Gallagher has revealed that he is banned from China with Beijing deeming him “an enemy of the people” because he had performed at a gig calling for freedom in Tibet.
The Oasis megastar, 56, said that he had received a letter from the Chinese government 20 years ago informing him that he was no longer allowed to enter the country because of a concert he had played in 1997, dailymail.co.uk reported.
The concert was held in New York, and backed freedom for Tibet, in the middle of their ‘Be Here Now’ tour.
In the middle of the Manchester band's 'Be Here Now' tour, Noel decided to play a gig in New York which supported freedom for Tibet. He said he was sent the letter because officials worried he might say "some pro-Tibetan s***".
"I've got a letter somewhere from the Minister of The Interior saying, 'You are an enemy of the people,' or something like that", he shared
But "The rest (of the band) were invited with open arms", Noel is quoted as telling Daily Star.
The singer said the only reason he took part in the Freedom Concert was because no one else from Oasis did.
“It was a day off and Oasis got asked to do it and no one else would do it so it was like I'll do it,” he explained. “I walked out on stage in front of 50,000 people and as I walked out I thought, 'Why have I agreed to do this? I'm not even the f***ing singer'."
His brother Liam was the lead singer of the 90s Britpop phenomenon, although Noel does feature on the vocals of hits such as ‘Don't Look Back In Anger’, ‘The Masterplan’, and ‘Little
The ‘High Flying Birds’ vocalist added that he only found out about the ban when the band was invited to China years later.
They had agreed on a set of appropriate songs to perform, but just months before the agreed visit Noel was denied entry.
--IANS
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