diff --git a/kernel/events/core.c b/kernel/events/core.c
index cb8744a1b12067..e76e4959908c57 100644
--- a/kernel/events/core.c
+++ b/kernel/events/core.c
@@ -761,8 +761,18 @@ perf_lock_task_context(struct task_struct *task, int ctxn, unsigned long *flags)
 {
 	struct perf_event_context *ctx;
 
-	rcu_read_lock();
 retry:
+	/*
+	 * One of the few rules of preemptible RCU is that one cannot do
+	 * rcu_read_unlock() while holding a scheduler (or nested) lock when
+	 * part of the read side critical section was preemptible -- see
+	 * rcu_read_unlock_special().
+	 *
+	 * Since ctx->lock nests under rq->lock we must ensure the entire read
+	 * side critical section is non-preemptible.
+	 */
+	preempt_disable();
+	rcu_read_lock();
 	ctx = rcu_dereference(task->perf_event_ctxp[ctxn]);
 	if (ctx) {
 		/*
@@ -778,6 +788,8 @@ perf_lock_task_context(struct task_struct *task, int ctxn, unsigned long *flags)
 		raw_spin_lock_irqsave(&ctx->lock, *flags);
 		if (ctx != rcu_dereference(task->perf_event_ctxp[ctxn])) {
 			raw_spin_unlock_irqrestore(&ctx->lock, *flags);
+			rcu_read_unlock();
+			preempt_enable();
 			goto retry;
 		}
 
@@ -787,6 +799,7 @@ perf_lock_task_context(struct task_struct *task, int ctxn, unsigned long *flags)
 		}
 	}
 	rcu_read_unlock();
+	preempt_enable();
 	return ctx;
 }