Witness History
Witness History
Wham! in China
Up next
March 22, 2024
9 minutes
Available for over a year
In 1985, the British band Wham! became the first Western pop act to play in China.
Around 12,000 fans packed into the Worker’s Gymnasium in Beijing to hear such hits as Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go and Freedom.
Wham!’s manager Simon Napier-Bell tells Vicky Farncombe how the strangeness of the event affected singer George Michael’s nerves.
(Photo: Wham! perform in China. Credit: Getty Images)