John McEnroe will rock the BNP Paribas Open next month.
Grand Slam champions will be jamming in the desert next month and you can tune into the musical muse.
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Hall of Famer John McEnroe's Johnny Smyth Band and the Bryan Brothers Band have both signed on to play live rock performances at Indian Wells.
McEnroe's band, which has played US Open charity events for years, will take the stage on Saturday, March 11 from 4:30 pm-5:30 pm. Annual fan-favorites like the Bryan Bros. Band will also return with the former doubles stars set to perform on Friday, March 10 from 4:30 pm-6:30 pm.
The BNP Paribas Open will host an all-new Family Day event on Saturday, March 4 ahead of the official start of the tournament, welcoming families with children of all ages to enjoy a free afternoon at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden filled with fun and exciting activities both on and off the court.
Family Day will be held at the venue from 1pm-4pm with a variety of activities and booths on-site for families to enjoy. Live music, trampolines, obstacle courses, arts and crafts, ice cream and more will greet fans at the Oak Tree Grass and Stadium Plaza to celebrate two incredible weeks of tournament action to come in Tennis Paradise.
USTA Southern California will host special on-court tennis drills and activities at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden practice courts and the tournament will give away 2,000 HEAD tennis racquets for kids attending the Family Day event. For more information, visit BNP Paribas Open.
Throughout his long career, McEnroe has jammed with many rock stars including his good friend Chrissie Hynde and The Pretenders, Roger Daltrey of The Who and members of the Rolling Stones.
It takes a rare talent to leave McEnroe speechless, but David Bowie had it.
In his autobiography, You Cannot Be Serious, tennis' raging rebel McEnroe recalls the night rock star rebel Bowie pulled the plug on his playing.
"In between rounds at Wimbledon in 1982, I struggled to learn David Bowie's Suffragette City and Rebel, Rebel in my hotel flat," McEnroe wrote. "I heard a knock on my door. It was David Bowie. 'Come up and have a drink,' he told me. 'Just don't bring your guitar.' "
In an interview with Perfoming Songwriter, Bowie remembered McEnroe's Rebel, Rebel riffing causing sleep deprivation.
"One night, I was in London in a hotel trying to get some sleep," Bowie said. "It was quite late, like 11 or 12 at night, and I had some big deal thing on the next day, a TV show or something, and I heard this riff being played really badly from upstairs. I thought, “Who the hell is doing this at this time of night?”
"On an electric guitar, over and over [sings riff to “Rebel Rebel” in a very hesitant, stop and start way]. So I went upstairs to show the person how to play the thing," Bowie told Performing Songwriter with a laugh. "So I bang on the door.
"The door opens, and I say, “Listen, if you’re going to play… ” and it was John McEnroe! I kid you not (laughs). It was McEnroe, who saw himself as some sort of rock guitar player at the time. That could only happen in a movie, couldn’t it? McEnroe trying to struggle his way through the “Rebel Rebel” riff."