Rob Gronkowski’s Forgotten Fenway Dance With Paul McCartney

Fenway Park has been home to some bizarre moments in its 112 years, but one of the most bizarre involves a former Beatle and a former New England Patriot.

The historic event unfolded over four minutes in 2016, registered a little social media buzz and then faded, undeservedly, from public consciousness. It deserves to be in some sort of sports-music hall of fame.

The night was already a winner in that Paul McCartney was in Boston to play a three-hour concert. A McCartney concert at America's oldest ballpark is a magical, almost spiritual, experience every single time. The rock icon, still spritely in his 70s, blasted through a set of hits from his Beatles, Wings and solo days, entertaining multiple generations of fans, barely stopping long enough to sip some water and towel off.

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From "A Hard Day's Night" to "Maybe I'm Amazed" to "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da," the show was a mind-bending journey through music history.

As the sun set over Fenway, there were fireworks. There were whole-stadium singalongs. Then, there was Gronk.

Midway through a seven-song encore, McCartney unexpectedly welcomed Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski. Dressed for a backyard barbecue in blue shorts and a white polo, the 6-foot, 6-inch Super Bowl winner came bounding out. The crowd went nuts. The stage lights went red. McCartney's band played the opening notes of the Beatles' 1968 hit "Helter Skelter." What the heck was Gronkowski there to do?

Nothing and everything, it turned out.

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Standing just behind one of the most successful artists ever, Gronkowski danced. Maybe "danced" isn't the right word. "Vibed" makes more sense. Without an instrument or a mic in his hand, like everyone else on stage (including fellow surprise guest Bob Weir of The Grateful Dead), Gronkowski looked a tad awkward. He didn't know where to put his hands or how to move with the rock tune, but in classic style, he didn't seem to feel out of place. Awkward is where this man thrives.

The football star sang along from his spot on stage, obviously a McCartney fan and not a poser. McCartney seemed to enjoy the whole thing, frequently turning from his mic to glimpse the athlete hyping him up.

Before he left the stage, Gronkowski went for a high-five with McCartney that ended up not happening, but he played it off cool. He took McCartney's mic and shouted, "Thank you, Paul, and thank you, Boston!"

Then, he promised the crowd: "The season is right around the corner and we're about to turn it up this year."

He was right. The Patriots went on to beat the Atlanta Falcons in the 2017 Super Bowl, 34 to 28.

Maybe Gronk has some of that McCartney magic to thank for the win.