By Crystal Harrell
Big Rock Golf & Pub at Indian Springs has garnered the reputation of being one of the premier musical venues in the Coachella Valley—opening its doors to local talent, benefit concerts, and star-studded events. This fall season will feature all of this and more—including new specials on food and drinks.
Live music starts the last Friday of September, on the 29th—as Big Rock is the kickoff place for the Autism Benefit Concert. The 16th Annual Concert for Autism Kickoff Event at Big Rock Pub will feature local bands Blasting Echo, Derek Jordan Gregg, Crucial Culture and Feisty Joe. The show starts at 7:30 p.m. The concert is all ages until 10 p.m. There is a suggested donation at the door and the public is invited to come enjoy a great variety of music playing to raise funds for the Desert Autism Foundation.
“We’d like to let everybody know that every Friday and Saturday through the season, we’ll have live music with special events sprinkled in along the way. Live music is definitely an important part of who we are and the desert entertainment scene,” shared Stephanie McCormack, Director of Food and Beverage at Big Rock Golf & Pub.
Local live music will continue every Friday after, with a special ticketed concert event happening in November. Famous Canadian rock band 54-40 will jam on the Big Rock stage on November 4th, with tickets going on sale next week. 54-40 has had a successful career, with four of their albums being certified Platinum in Canada. The band has been nominated for eight Juno Awards. Between 1996 and 2016, 54-40 were among the top 150 best-selling Canadian artists in Canada and among the top 50 best-selling Canadian bands in Canada.
The following Sunday, November 5th, the Big Rock’s annual car show will take place, featuring classic vehicles and motorcycle show on the 18th fairway. This popular event will also have a beer trailer and open restaurant hours for the public to enjoy.
Football season is back, and there are new food and drink specials to mark the event—with football viewing Monday, Thursday and Sundays. NFL Game Day specials include house made beef jerky nuggets, ball park nachos, and the Dog Pile—consisting of spiced waffle fries, diced hot dog, beer cheese, sour cream, bacon bits, and green onion.
A new brunch menu is also featured this season, with new dishes like the Breakfast Corndog (a maple sage sausage dipped in pancake batter) and the Smoked Brisket & Egg Sammie. A bevy of new brunch cocktails are also featured this season, like the Maple Bacon Old Fashioned and Blueberry Gin Mojito.
“We’re always reinventing our menu and testing new dishes. Our chef is super creative. He’s always coming up with new items to try as a special first to see if it’ll make it to the menu and have some longevity. But with this new brunch menu, we also rolled-out some unique tasting cocktails that really enhance the brunch experience,” said McCormack.
Next month, Big Rock will also be hosting a special Oktoberfest celebration every Thursday in October in the beer garden. The idea for this event was spurred by wanting to reintroduce the beer garden space to highlight the ambiance it brings when the weather is good.
“We’re going to have all German beers in the beer garden with food and beer specials and other surprises. We’ll decorate the space to add that festive German vibe and energy with music and games like Large Jenga and cornhole. It will be a really fun space for people to come every Thursday,” shared McCormack.
This beer garden gathering space is reminiscent of an authentic German Biergarten with market lights, beautiful flowers and greenery, and views of the golf course, mountains, and sunset. Large tables are available for social gatherings and for regular dining and special events.
“I feel like music in the Coachella Valley is important to bring people together, whether they’re locals, snowbirds or just visitors. It’s a place for people to gather, let loose and have a good time. It’s somewhere to go to enjoy what music the desert has to offer. Most of our music is local and I think that all the people that frequent the desert or live here just really love having somewhere to gather and have a good time,” said McCormack.
To see the full schedule of live music, visit the venue’s official website at www.bigrockgolfandpub.com.
