Chiefs: Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me

Josh Kingsley

No Chiefs Practice this Morning

I pretty much work all the time. There is an old saying: work to live, don’t live to work. It’s a round about way of saying to have work life balance. I fully believe in having great work life balance, but I do not project that view. Many outsiders assume I live to work, and it makes sense. I absolutely pack my calendar on the regular, and extended down time isn’t my thing. Many define that as living to work, but I disagree. Down time makes me anxious. It makes me explore the opportunity cost of things I could be doing. I work all the time to occupy my brain, and to supply the resources to have fun.

My work life balance subscription includes make work fun in the bundle. Let me add this: obligation = job. I love my work as a DJ, organizer on Arrowhead Kingdom, and also as a writer here. Planning trips and events for friends is also fun work for me. In short: life is work to me, and I love work. My job description is to enjoy life, and I take it seriously. Let circle back on the resources thing. Many of the obligations are actual jobs that pay, and I work for that as well. I require resources to do the stuff I want. Being nimble is a core thing for me.

My Spontaneous Weekend

Let me step back to last Thursday. The day was token normal day until the evening. Misty’s friend from the Minneapolis area sent her a text asking for Saturday lunch availability in Chicago. Said friend was planning to board a Friday AM flight to Chicago for the Elton John show in Chicago Friday night. Misty keeps a calendar, like me, and Saturday lunch was possible. A 90 minute drive to meet a friend is always on the table for either of us, so this was a simple enough ask. That drive is easy enough that Friday could happen as well, and Misty could link just before the show. Misty had this whole exchange with her friend and then let me know she was planning to head down. I essentially said have fun and I will be mad if she ends up at an Elton John without me.

Friday morning I wake up to Misty on her phone scheming. I was up to speed on the train and bus schedules to Chicago before I even stepped foot on the floor. A simple fact became abundantly clear: I was going to see Elton John that night. We immediately shifted into planning gear, and started working our schedules together. Kid arrangements – check. Hotel in Chicago – check. Travel to Chicago – check. One more side note: I had a wedding Friday afternoon. It was an earlier than normal night, so I was able to work and hit the road to Chicago from there. Was it a stressful, crammed day? Yeah, but I live for stuff like that.

My Trip to Sir Elton

I work my daily grind, crush the wedding live stream, and hit the road to Chi Town. Details like hotel location and meeting places exchange on my drive down. I often use long drives to call my parents, and my mom was on the list for this one. She was in the middle of coffee with my aunt and not really into talking. All good, be present with your physical guest. The only reason I bring up my mom is to talk about the text thread. Misty and I get to our spot on the field for Elton John about after the show starts. Chaos often leads to running late, and Friday hit that vibe. We immediately immerse ourselves in the night with a rock legend, and Sir Elton was killing it.

We go to a ton of concerts across all genres. This and my next columns will make you think all I do is travel and go to shows. That will be an accurate enough speculation. I love concerts, and my tastes are eclectic as I believe exists. Shows like this one take us to a familiar spot: it would be cool to see this with our parents. We start a text thread with our parents, and it’s fun enough to share. Here is the text start:

What cha know about Sir Elton? (included a pic of the stage)

➤ How did they respond? Misty’s dad immediately asked why we would question Elton John.

➤ Her mom came back directly after with jealously and a directive to enjoy.

➤ My mom replied with surprise about the whole thing.

➤ Misty’s step dad and my dad never replied.

➤ They both love music and hate crowds.

.

The Show

Why include the parent conversation? Two reasons: it was hilariously on brand, and talking about them increases the chance they read my stuff. I love my parents and in-laws, but they have nothing really to do with the story. Elton John was awesome. Everything was on point, and he looked very in the element. My set list highlights were “Your Song” and “Cold Heart.” The first is a personal favorite. The second filled more of a hole. There is a bit more story with the second one.

Dua Lipa is the biggest pop star in the world at the moment. She recently put out a single called, “Cold Heart,” which is a remix of sorts of the Elton John song. Lipa’s track is ultimately a call to the brilliance of the John version. The result is a new #1 for both. I saw Dua Lipa earlier this year in Milwaukee, and she sang with an Elton John video after thanking him for the collaboration. Elton John’s show featured him thanking Dua Lipa and performing with her on screen. It was a passing of the torch.

Elton John closed the show with his tour named song, “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.” I am eternally a Kansan, so this was perfect. We walked out of Soldier Field to a Chicago trash can drum band, and the evening was officially complete.

Important Comment

RIP to Vin Scully.

We Are in Range

The Elton John story served an additional thing this week. I watched that show from the field level of Soldier Field, which is where the CHIEFS play Saturday. This doesn’t mean anything, but is a cool coincidence. Preseason football means two things:

Regular season NFL is around the corner, and
Things are getting real in the roster battle game.

The first one is obvious, and I cannot wait for meaningful football. Second point is where all the stuff is right now. The CHIEFS have a strong returning core, but also some questions. Here is my approach to this game:

Almost complete disregard for the offense
Acute focus on the defensive game plan
Pure reflection

Offense

I believe my stance is clear for the CHIEFS offense, but to reiterate: it will be elite. The CHIEFS OL is top tier, and quite possibly the best in the NFL. Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce remain favorite weapons of choice. Our RB will choose two of Ronald Jones, Derrick Gore and Jerick McKinnon. The WR room lost Tyreek Hill, but gained JuJu and MVS and may still be led by rookie Skyy Moore or Mecole. I expect to see nothing but the basic from the offense this preseason.

My last comment: I am firmly in the camp that Mahomes can sit the entire preseason.

Defense

The preseason games will matter for this group. Massive turnover is the theme for the D, and rookies will have to rule. I believe in the player personnel in house, but game speed needs to prove. The CHIEFS D needs to see different colored helmets. I am excited to see the JReid and JThornhill LIVE experience, and also how Leo Chenal inserts himself into the LB plan. The real question and desired answer for all is the DL. Questioning is a generous term for most fans when regarding the DL. The offense will not show anything in the preseason, but the D will have to. Let’s see it Spags!!

Reflection

The Chicago Bears and Kansas City CHIEFS are unrelated. There is nothing in common, for the most part. Unfortunately for Bears fans this fails to be the case for the foreseeable future. Our CHIEFS shared the 2017 draft philosophy of QB in that we both needed a starter. The Bears took fate into their own hands, moved up, and yanked and tanked on Mitch Trubisky. The CHIEFS fleeced the Bills (retrospectively, of course, at least at the level) for the 10th pick and got Patrick Mahomes. The “Bears should have taken Mahomes” narrative is flawed and probably wrong, but the what if factor will follow any CHIEFS v Bears match-up until kingdom come. For Bears fans: I Guess That’s Why They Call It The Blues.

Josh Kingsley