North Texas guitarist puts a new spin on Mavericks opening rock anthem
DALLAS — People forget that it's been more than 20 years since the Mavericks adopted The Who's iconic rock anthem "Eminence Front" as their intro music.
But, as the song comes close to 50 years old, the team asked for an update — and they got it from local kid turned rock star Justin Lyons.
"It feels like, tip off — walking from the back, through the tunnel to the court," he said. "It's like an extreme rush, all the way until the person who's about to call it and say... 'Go." It feels like it's time for me to go to war."
It doesn't take much for Lyons to create an electric atmosphere. And it's not a front. He has that rockstar swagger everywhere he goes.
These days, people call him GuitarSlayer, and the man knows how to put on a show.
"All of those things add to the energy of it, you know?" he said.
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Lyons has been on world tours with stars from Lil Wayne to Machine Gun Kelly. But he also rocks the Mavs opening lineups with a new spin on the iconic Mavs opener "Eminence Front" by The Who.
"I just kind of sat with it, let it marinate, prayed a little bit and tried to see what's the best way to approach it and keep it authentic as possible," he shared with CBS News Texas.
The Mavs have been using the song since 2001.
"Since the Shawn Bradley era, that was throwback when they were still at Reunion Arena," Lyons reminisces.
Back when the Dallas native used to go to games.
"My mom used to bring me and my little brother to the games," he recalled. "We used to sit up top in the nosebleed section."
Now, the kid from Oak Cliff opens for the Mavs with a custom guitar, which he'll be upgrading for the finals.
"We're working on something special for this last and final round that I think everyone is going to love and fall in love with and I look forward to rocking it," he said.