10 years ago… Royals return to the Postseason and Crüe’s “Final” Tour!
A convergence of sport and music…
Make for great memories!
First and foremost, I’m feeling a bit nostalgic with our Royals returning to the postseason after nine years. In 2024, they became just the third team since the start of the expansion era (1961) to advance to the postseason after losing at least 100 games the previous year; along with the 2017 Twins and 2020 Marlins -- but the first to lose 106+ and make it… Congratulations to our 2024 Kansas City Royals!
September 27, 2024: K.C. Royals celebrate their first postseason berth in nine years. Let’s Go Royals!
All bad things must come to an end… On January 28, 2014, Mötley Crüe held a press conference where they announced a “final tour” with Alice Cooper as the opening act. The band also became the first to sign a binding legal document known as a "cessation of touring" contract, preventing them from touring beyond the year 2015 under the name Mötley Crüe [apparently there was a loophole]. Nonetheless, in 2014, the tour’s aforementioned moniker would take on a different meaning…
I have been a fan of Metal and of Motley Crue since I was a kid. When I was 20 y/o, I met Nikki Sixx and Tommy Lee, as they briefly mingled with us fans before their set. And, some twenty years later, my wife and I saw the band perform live at Kansas City’s Sprint Center (now T-Mobile Center) on August 3, 2014. The concert was great.
Video courtesy of Anthony Woodard
While “Shout at the Devil” (1983) is my favorite Crue album, the band’s next album “Theatre of Pain” (1985) provided all of us with arguably the greatest Metal power ballad of all time, “Home Sweet Home”. In 2014, this iconic song would once again find its way into the deep recesses of my mind, just as it did in 1985.
Aug. 3, 2014: My wife and I were fortunate to experience the band’s encore performance of “Home Sweet Home” up close and personal. Video courtesy of Anthony Woodard
There's something happening here… After nearly thirty years, our Kansas City Royals were becoming competitive again. The team went 86–76 the year before, achieving only their second winning season since 1994 and first since 2003. The team was looking even better in 2014.
Jun. 20, 2014: I told my wife that something big was about to happen; quote "Home run right here Babe." So, I grabbed my iPhone and hit record (and Moose hit it out of the park...). Video courtesy of Anthony Woodard
My friend and Toxic bandmate Mike Stolberg is a Royals fanatic…
A Blue October… 10 years ago, we were treated to a truly unforgettable month of baseball. It had been 29 years since our Royals were in the postseason; all bad things must come to an end… It was a month filled with extra innings and thrilling come-from-behind victories, perhaps none greater than the one that started it all, the 2014 American League Wild Card Game (Sep. 30, 2014). Despite being down by four runs as they entered the bottom of the eighth inning, our Royals clawed their way back and ultimately defeated the Oakland A’s by a score of 9–8 in 12 innings. This game is considered to be one of the most thrilling and important games in the history of the Royals franchise, with some arguing that it was the greatest postseason game ever. Our 2014 and 2015 Royals teams, much like our Mahomes-era Kansas City Chiefs, remind us to never give up.
2014 American League Wild Card Game: Salvador "Salvy" Pérez celebrates his game-winning hit.
Source: kansascity.com
Over the next few weeks, our Royals swept both the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in the ALDS and the Baltimore Orioles in the ALCS, becoming the first team in Major League history to win their first 8 postseason games in a row; a true “Cinderella story”. I was fortunate to experience both Game 3 of the 2014 ALCS and Game 7 of the 2014 World Series at the venerable Kauffman Stadium.
2014 ALCS Game 3: Mike “The Moose” Moustakas makes his second memorable catch of the night…
Photo Credit: Denny Medley, USA TODAY Sports
Oct. 25, 2014: Sometimes sport and music don’t mix…
Our band hosted our 2014 Rocktoberfest, along with a Royals World Series Game 4 watch party; Ouch… That hurt.
A convergence of sport and music… Moments before first pitch, many of us belted out the chorus to a “certain Metal power ballad from 1985”. Fox Sports produced a video for the iconic song using highlights from the Royals’ already memorable postseason, along with Motley Crue concert footage. The video played on our stadium’s Crown Vision Board above center field and made for even more great memories…
Oct. 29, 2014: Game 7 of the 2014 World Series at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. Video courtesy of Anthony Woodard
It was 1985.
George Brett was a Rock Star.
It was Game 7.
The first runs and the final out were delivered by Darryl Motley.
The Royals won the World Series.
…And, Motley Crue made this song.
Welcome back to the Fall Classic, Kansas City!
…And, George Brett is still a Rock Star, by the way.
Captions from the aforementioned video
The loss of Game 7 was heartbreaking. Our hopes for the title came up literally, ninety feet short. Despite our collective sadness, as we made our way out of the stadium, chants of “Next Year Royals!” began to fill the air. At that moment, I knew we would be back in 2015; all bad things must come to an end…
“Next Year Royals!”
Source: kansascity.com
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