Travis Kelce didn’t miss too much on Grammy night 2024. Los Angeles is not the most fun place to be when an atmospheric river is parked over it like the alien ship in Independence Day. Gloomy and wet is not how Southern California is usually described. While there would have certainly been a damper put on the party scene by the weather, spirits would have been high at the Taylor Swift after party. Kelce did miss some traffic delays and also an historic moment — his girlfriend winning her fourth Album of the Year Grammy and becoming the only musician to ever achieve that feat.
Anyone who wants to argue the merits of Swift besting Frank Sinatra and Stevie Wonder can do so with the Beyhive and others. I do, however, wish that Kelce would have been at Crypto.com Arena to see history made — twice actually —because Tracy Chapman performed “Fast Car” live for the first time in nine years.
Kelce relationship with Swift seems to be growing. They are at the point where they engage in public displays of affection. They kissed on the field at M&T Bank Stadium after the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Baltimore Ravens. Swift hung out on the field as not just her boo, but as the entire team was presented with their fourth AFC Championship trophy in six seasons.
Reports are that Swift will attend the Super Bowl in Las Vegas between concerts in Japan and Australia. She has four concerts this week. Doors open for the first one a bit more than 48 hours after the end of the Grammy Awards, Tokyo time, which is 17 hours ahead of Pacific time. Following her fourth show on Saturday night, she will take a 12-hour flight back to the states and land in Las Vegas on Saturday night, Pacific time. A 16-hour flight to Australia awaits her a few days later for seven shows in 10 days. The first will be a week from Saturday in Melbourne, which is 19 hours ahead of Pacific time.
Kelce made the obvious team-first choice by flying with the Chiefs to Las Vegas on Sunday and staying there all night. Missing the Grammys for Super Bowl week is one of the few decisions that can be agreed upon by both ends of the political spectrum. However, there were no events on Sunday, nor was there practice. Even with the wet weather, Kelce likely could have flown to LA, and been back to Vegas without missing one second of practice.
The day of the week is about to change depending on location for Swift the rest of February. She is doing that to support her boyfriend on his profession’s biggest stage. Yet, Kelce couldn’t have taken a couple of 45 minute flights to watch her accomplish something in her industry that might never be duplicated?
Of course, he could have gone to the Grammys and still been at the team breakfast on Monday, but imagine the uproar if he actually did that. Super Bowl Opening Night — the artist formerly known as Media Day — would be about nothing but the Grammys. Not only would he be taking questions, but so would the rest of the roster, as well as Andy Reid. Even Mama Kelce’s Q-score would not be able to protect him from the controversy of being seen at the Grammys a full week before the biggest sporting event of the year.
Him walking with Swift to her table and Trevor Noah pointing them out during the opening monologue, would have led every show from Good Morning America to Pardon the Interruption. Michael Wilbon’s rant would have been so forceful, he would not even need a microphone or a camera for TV satellites across America to pick it up.
Of course, if the Chiefs went on to lose to the San Francisco 49ers, Kelce would have to wear the shame of that outcome for the rest of his life. If he dropped a pass or two in the game, or lost a fumble, teams would consider creating contract clauses that forbid players from dating pop stars.
As a society, we can accept a woman traveling across the world four times, and potentially giving people who paid exorbitant amounts of money to see her concert a less than grand performance. Kelce, though, can’t spend a few hours at the Grammys — in the same time zone — and in the morning show Patrick Mahomes a selfie with Tracy Chapman while having some oatmeal and orange juice.
Kelce missed the biggest day in his far more famous girlfriend’s life because everyone, including himself, expected that to be the case. He thinks that he avoided the rain and the hot seat, but I call on a reporter at Super Bowl Opening Night to put Kelce back on it. Someone should ask Kelce on Monday if Beyoncé should have a Grammy for Album of the Year by now.
