Las Vegas was rocking on Saturday night when legendary musicians including Carlos Santana, Sir Elton John and Rod Stewart played to a packed house to raise funds for the Andre Agassi Charitable Foundation (AACF), which helps at-risk children in the city, where the tennis champion grew up.
The sellout concert at the MGM Grand Garden Arena drew an audience of 8,000 people, who were thrilled by performances from Grammy-winning neo-soul singer India.
Arie, chart-topping pop country chanteuse Martina McBride, and British rockers Elton and Rod, who teamed up for a duet and raised laughs with some camp banter at the start of their act.
Carlos Santana praised Andre for his work on behalf of children: “We salute you, dearest brother, for promoting unity and quality,” said the guitarist before launching into a three-song set.
Even before the concert kicked off, the fundraising was well underway, with hundreds of VIP guests swathed in tuxedos and evening gowns attending a special dinner for which they had paid up to $1,000 apiece. There was also a live auction with some top sporty prizes including a tennis lesson with Andre himself and his equally famous wife, Steffi Graf.
The Grand Slam For Children charity weekend pulled in a hefty $5.6 million for the AACF, which was founded in 1994. Now in its seventh year, the Grand Slam effort has raised an estimated $24 million for schools and non-profit groups.
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
