Chiefs: South Park Red Rocks Mashup

Josh Kingsley

Last week was a whirlwind. My last column mentioned the impromptu trip to Chicago for the Elton John show, but I thoroughly outdid myself. Here was my schedule:

Monday: customer dinner in Lake Geneva area, drive to Chicago for overnight
Tuesday: 5:15am flight out of Chicago O’Hare to Denver, day job work day at hotel, concert at Red Rocks (much more to come on this)
Wednesday: catch up on Denver, flight back to Chicago, home at 3:30am
Thursday: full day team meeting for the day job
Friday: day job work day, wedding (that I absolutely crushed – Congrats again to Gayle and Jim!!)
Saturday: drive to Chicago Midway at 4:15am, flight to Austin, CHIEFS preseason game at Arrowhead Kingdom Austin, Sporting KC match vs Austin FC at O2, night life on 6th Street
Sunday: Spurs match with Austin Spurs fan group, brewery visits, flight back to Chicago (delayed like normal), arrive home at 4am

I normally keep a full calendar, but this was pure insanity. It was even exhausting to write. However, I regret nothing and would not change a second of it. I got an irreplaceable experience in Denver, got to catch up with a good friend in Austin, made plenty of notes for the CHIEFS game recap, and I’ll sleep when I’m dead, so let’s get to it.

The Denver Trip

This was all based around a concert. My friend and staff DJ, Anthony, and I planned this one a bit ago. I was driving to get kids from somewhere one afternoon when Anthony called. My expectation was a discussion about a tee time or something wedding related, but this was different. He had just read about the South Park 25th Anniversary concert at Red Rocks and the lottery to buy tickets. His main goal was ensuring I registered for the chance to buy tickets. That became my instant top priority. We both registered and neither won. I have won lotteries before. Misty and I saw Hamilton in Chicago for $20 from winning a ticket lottery. Anthony and I simply moved on hoping to see a recording at some point.

About a month later we got an email from AXS informing a second show. As lottery entrants we were on the pre-sale list. No way in hell we were messing that up. Tickets and flights went on the books immediately. Did I mention the show was at Red Rocks? I could write an entire column on the majesty of Red Rocks, but I will leave it at this:

Nothing I can write does the actual thing justice, you just have to go
A major part of the experience is getting there via 2 lane road on the west side of Denver to the multiple mile hike up the mountain
The last part of the experience of getting there is a long walk up stairs, seeing the sun disappear behind a peak, and then entry to seating and a stage cut into the side of a mountain

Just pick a show and go. Pro tip: remember the hike and make sure the whole party has appropriate shoes.

South Park’s Anniversary

I have to start with an explanation of my love for this show. Yes, the crass, Comedy Central cartoon. My wife kind of gets it, but generally wants nothing to do with the show. I absolutely LOVE South Park, and it remains the one TV show I followed without exception. Most of my TV watching is sports related. I will catch a series here and there (Parks and Rec, Cobra Kai, and everything Star Wars), but I don’t really watch TV shows. The last show I followed as released was “How I Met Your Mother,” and that wrapped about a decade ago. I have not seen an episode of Breaking Bad, Sopranos, The Wire, Game of Thrones, Walking Dead, Mad Men, or any of the other superlatives. This is mainly because I know myself. I cannot dedicate the time to binge these epic shows. Maybe someday.

The same goes for the Marvel-verse. Why South Park? Here are my reasons:

I love satire and music, and both play a prominent role in the show’s DNA
It is the smartest show on TV
Hidden in an absurd cartoon
I love and idolize the creators, Trey Parker and Matt Stone

Everything those guys do is a passion project that goes farther than a certain logic suggests. Their family and peers always encourage out of either a respect (or maybe fear) of motivation. I see my personal experience in that, and I want to be these guys.

A Beautiful Mashup of a Concert

I fly to Denver with hopes for the show, but also with literally no idea what would happen. The bill simply said music from Primus, Ween and South Park. My expectation was a Primus concert, a Ween concert, and some show numbers. That to an exponential level is what happened. Here are my quick notes for readers not into any of these things:

Primus: this is an absurd metal, funk band created and fronted by bassist, Les Claypool. Les is a quirky dude and in the conversation for best bass player ever. Prior to forming Primus he auditioned to be Metallica’s second bassist. Story goes that he started the intro with a request to jam out some Isley Brothers.
Ween: I was not as familiar with Ween, but they are quirky in their own right. The lead singer and lead guitar player formed the group and the stage names Gene Ween and Dean Ween. Their contribution included country, hard rock and soft rock style music. They are pretty bluesy and rock very hard.
South Park: Matt and Trey are huge music and musical fans. The show’s episodes feature original songs many are vulgar style parodies with incredible melodies.

Ween opened the show with their music. Primus joined the stage with theirs. Those bands played together, and then Matt and Trey came to the stage to join them. Trey did the majority of the lead vocals for the South Park songs and played the piano, and Matt jumped from drums to guitar with backing vocals. After a few SP numbers Matt and Trey would sit on lawn chairs, chug beer and watch their favorite bands play. Rinse and repeat. My favorite part was the addition of 6 female backup singers adding beautiful melody while smiling through ridiculous lyrics. I would kill to see the audition tapes.

The Best Moment

I promise I will get on to sports after this section. Primus and Ween are Matt and Trey’s favorite bands, but there is a deeper connection with Primus. Les Claypool and Primus are the architects of the South Park theme song. The story of the song coming together is wild, and (editor’s warning: cursing involved) told in this video clip (BTW, your editor loves that video). The language is a little course at the beginning, the video quality is bad, the story is wild, Claypool is clearly friends with these guys, and the interaction is pure magic. The entire trip was worth it for this. I highly encourage everyone to watch the final cut on Paramount+ or the raw 2.5 hour clips from YouTube. Fair warning: these guys are from the Denver area, so there are multiple Elway references (worse than cursing). I can’t hold it against them, but it is nice to see they have faults like the rest of us.

Let’s Talk Some CHIEFS

I have noticed a run by Veach on veteran front 4 recently. This is a good thing, and also something all fans have demanded and lamented all offseason. Carlos Dunlap and Danny Shelton are the most recent names in this group. Both are a result of teams getting younger and/or cheaper at their positions. The CHIEFS will be giving talent to other teams soon in the form of WRs and RBs, but we are on the receiving end with DL. Both of the guys just mentioned could probably catch a roster spot in half the league, but both came to us at fair rates. The first, and most obvious, reason we got them is the: ring chasing aspect. Kansas City is a contender for a title. The second reason is a chance to contribute at a high level, which can lead to a title or one more payday next year.

The current defensive makeup is late career vets and rookies, and very little in between. Veach’s goal appears to be getting notably better than last year, which is awesome. There are a ton of stats and graphics flying around on social media that essentially say Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid win if the D keeps it under 27. A notably better D provides that. The goal next offseason fixes to be a further step.

The Defensive Evolution

We are in the first phase of a full defensive rebuild and re-identification of the team DNA. The CHIEFS are an offensive team, and that is undebatable. All the resources and success derive from the Mahomes led side of the ball. It has become automatic. The Patriots built a dynasty on stout D and Tom Brady. Green Bay has built constant and consistent relevance in the same fashion, but with less post-season success. I see the CHIEFS doing a more conservative approach in that they still go after and ultimately pay weapons, but at a lesser rate. Not signing Tyreek was a strong indication. Mahomes and Kelce are, and will remain the bread winners on O, but the pieces look to become more interchangeable. We have Mahomes, and the luxury to let $30M WRs make mediocre QBs last entry Pro Bowlers.

I love the movie Moneyball. A favorite scene is when Brad Pitt, as Billy Beane, is telling his scouts the team is card counters at the black jack table looking for value. That’s the CHIEFS now going after Dunlap and Shelton. Step two in this process is grabbing and developing rookies into stars. We clearly have some of those in that process. The final step is a wage shift to D, and that will happen in short order. I am ready to watch this D dominate while Mahomes elevates.

**The Great CHIEFS What If Scenario**

I loved the stout D of Martyball, and pined for the day K.C. signed a top tier QB to compliment. Joe Montana gave us the preview, and Patrick Mahomes is about to give us the movie. For the record I consider Dan Marino over Todd Blackledge in ’83 the great CHIEFS what if scenario.

Weekend Analysis

My weekend in Austin was a blast of a whirlwind with my buddy Chris. Our plan early in the MLS season was to catch SKC in St. Paul in the middle of July, but my schedule torpedoed that idea. This past weekend was the one that fit, so we went to Austin. That town never disappoints, and this weekend was no different. Our first stop was to the Arrowhead Kingdom Austin Chapter for the preseason game. Literally our stop via Lyft from the airport. Chris and I had a blast catching up with the group, and the game set the tone for a good weekend of sports.

CHIEFS Preseason Action vs the Bears

The anticipation of competitive football is over!! Argue about the competitiveness of preseason if you must, but this was real life, against another jersey football. The Bears got the opening kickoff, and then were kicked in the teeth. CHIEFS D rocked the first series. Chris Jones punctuated the stop with a sack, and all the comments in the room revolved around the D stopping the run. I cannot recall the last time I heard favorable discussion around the D stopping the run, but it has been a while. Mahomes and the offense took the field and looked nothing short of being in mid-season polished form.

Fullback Michael Burton made his presence known immediately, and the running game was in full balance. I know I am not alone in welcoming a rushing attack with open arms. Blake Bell capped the drive with a nice TD catch.

Here’s hoping he gets through this hip injury soon. The word unusual is not good. The biggest energy in the room came in 3 spots:

Skyy Moore’s toe drag catch in the 2nd half, and that was a debate until confirmed. That was a big time veteran spacial presence from a preseason rookie.
Isiah Pacheco’s catch and bounce off a hitter brought back visions of Kareem Hunt.
Marquez Valdes-Scantling laying out for a potential TD grab in the first series. That was both a view of potential, but also why the Packers let him leave.

All things considered it was everything you want from a preseason game. It validates my expectations for the season for sure.

Quick Hits

The MLS game was a great experience. Chris and I hit Oskar Blues and had some beers with other SKC traveling fans. O2 is a nice stadium with excellent views. We ended up in the traveling supporters section, which is a benefit soccer does well, and that is globally across all leagues. A spot is always provided for visiting fans of the opposition, and many tickets end up comped. The Austin supporter south stand was wild, but paled in comparison to the Cauldron in K.C. at Children’s Mercy. The cool factor for me was when Austin scored. The lights in the stadium went down, and the whole place turned green. Very ominous in a good way. Sporting K.C. kept with their tradition of horrific losses this year by turning a 3-1 lead into a 4-3 loss.

Sunday’s Spurs match capped the sports portion of my weekend in style. I got to see my friend Jerad, who moved to Austin about a year ago. We caught many a Spurs match in MKE, so it was great to reconnect. Austin’s fan group showed up proper and the bar had the 4 B’s of a good breakfast: bacon, beer, biscuits (& gravy) and black coffee. Tottenham played bitter rival Chelsea in their stadium, and the match was a classic. Chelsea led twice only for the Spurs to equalize and force a draw. The final goal came in stoppage time, and caused the managers to scuffle. I would love to promote a fight between them, and my guy, Antonio Conte, would break Tuchel in half. This fight needs to happen.

Last Take

This is the first edition of my new column ending, and it is an old movie quick review. I will grab a title from 5, 10, 15, 20 or 25 years ago, and reminisce. This part is all for the comments section, so here we go.

“Event Horizon“

Event Horizon is a sci-fi thriller horror movie located in space. It released August 15, 1997, and it starred Laurence Fishburne and Sam Neill. Michael Critchton fans will recognize a similarity to the plot of Sphere. The setup: a mysterious return of a space ship lost to the abyss. Neill’s character plays the architect of said ship, and Fishburne plays the leader of the salvage crew sent to investigate. Things turn dark as the ship reveals its dark past through horrifying experiences of the crew members. This movie creeped me out and entertained the hell out of me.

Josh Kingsley — ArrowheadOne and Arrowhead Kingdom