Cowboy Junkies Forced to Change Name to 'Cowboy Fan' for Beijing Concert

Earlier this year Bob Dylan made headlines after it was reported he had to run his set list and lyrical content by Chinese government officials for a tour of the country. Dylan posted a message on his site stating that "nobody ever told me about it and we played all the songs that we intended to play."

Canadian alt-country band Cowboy Junkies had a much different experience during a recent concert at a Beijing music festival, though. Their performance came with a few alterations, including changing the translation of the group's name to something a bit more palatable for authorities.

"Our Chinese name is now Cowboy Fan," wrote guitarist Mike Timmins on Sunday, June 5, in a lengthy blog post.

According to Timmins, the band were performing at a music festival organized by a famous Chinese DJ named Youdai and he was responsible for ensuring all the necessary contracts and permits were in order for foreign groups to perform at the event.

"This included not only getting the government to agree to specific bands (bands that he had already signed contracts with), but also getting all of the repertoires translated and approved by the necessary departments," Timmins wrote.

"An example of the type of detail that he and his team needed to deal with was trying to come up with a translation of our name so that we wouldn't be ruled out by the censors..."

The guitarist also noted that the group "also had a couple of songs crossed off of our set list," including 'Sit Sadly' (I Cannot Sit Sadly by Your Side) for containing the word "gun" and also the song '3rd Crusade' "because, well, just because." ('Third Crusade' is a song the band began performing earlier this year and is reportedly being slated for their next studio album).

Watch Cowboy Junkies Perform 'I Can't Sit Sadly by Your Side' Live
Although there were a few logistical hiccups with lineup changes and schedule changes, Timmins said the band "had a fun show and capped off a great week."

"I don't think our appearance will result in Cowboy Fan streaking up the pop charts in China but we hope that it will lead to a return to this country and a proper tour to half a dozen or so cities," he said. "We haven't gotten enough of this fascinating country or of its resilient, friendly, outgoing people."

The group, who released their latest album, 'Demons,' earlier in 2011, were inspired to write 'Renmin Park' in 2010 following Timmins' three-month stay in China. Both albums are part of their 'Nomad Series,' a project where they plan to complete four albums in an 18-month span.

Cowboy Junkies have a lone date this summer in Hungary before a brief European tour begins in early November.

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