Dylan Plays Asia

DYLAN MAKES WAVES: Bob Dylan finally got a chance to perform in a country that spurred many of his most famous '60s protest songs. Last night, in the midst of his Southeast Asian tour, Dylan played in the former Saigon, nearly 36 years after the Vietnam War ended. Only about half of the 8,000 seats at RMIT University were sold to a mix of Vietnamese and foreigners who danced on the grass during the show. Controversy has dogged the tour, with N.Y. Times columnist Maureen Dowd criticizing Dylan for allegedly bowing to Chinese censors during his performance last Wednesday (4/6) at the Worker’s Gymnasium in Beijing, and not playing protest songs like “The Times They Are a Changin” and “Blowin’ in the Wind” at the show in an Op. Ed piece called "Blowin' in the Idiot Wind." Others mocked her notion that Dylan singing those anthems would do anything to change the conditions in China. (4/11p)