Monster of rock Vince Neil is a monster Dolphins fan — and will be at Sunday’s game
When the Dolphins host the Patriots on Sunday in a season-defining showdown, there will be a real “Live Wire” in the house.
Mötley Crüe frontman Vince Neil is a massive Dolphins fan, and on Sunday he will attend his first in-person game in at least a decade.
The game’s at Hard Rock Stadium — where in six months, Neil and his band are scheduled to perform on Night 4 of their pandemic-delayed stadium tour with Def Leppard, Poison and Joan Jett and the Blackhearts.
But instead of leather and spikes, Neil will be in shorts and a custom Dolphins COVID-19 mask.
Neil, a Southern California native who lived in Las Vegas for years before moving to Nashville, is an unlikely Dolphins supporter. But he spent a lot of time in South Beach in the late 1990s, and a friend who lived locally got him into the team.
He would go to the games regularly, hanging out afterwards with a group of players that included quarterback Jay Fiedler and Todd Wade.
He not only enjoyed the energy of Miami but also the energy the Dolphins game-day experience provided him. And he even owns the prototype championship ring made up for Joe Robbie after the 1972 perfect season.
“I remember meeting [Dan] Marino for the first time, I was so starstruck,” Neil said. “He said ‘Hi.’ All I could say was ‘Hi’ back.”
On Sunday, he might have a chance to exchange a few more words with the Hall of Famer.
Neil’s trip is being coordinated by Tom Fox and Andy Moats, music and sports financial specialists for Pinnacle Financial Partners Music Sports and Entertainment Group.
In addition to working with music legends such as Neil, they also work with Dolphins receiver DeVante Parker and his agent Jimmy Gould.
“Vince’s passion for the Miami Dolphins is as real as it gets.” Fox said.
Gould has premium Dolphins seats not far from the owner’s box, and he’s hosting them all on Sunday.
“Vince Neil is an icon in the music industry and together we share a love for both DeVante Parker and the Miami Dolphins,” said Gould, an NFL agent for 26 years.
Neil and Fox agree that “Jimmy is so much more than just an NFL agent,” Fox said. “He has built his career on connecting the sports world with the entertainment/media world. His relationships run deep within those industries and we are excited to spend a Sunday in Hard Rock Stadium to watch such an important game.”
Neil has spent the past four decades touring almost nonstop, so this coronavirus-caused hiatus has been tough. But it has allowed him to do things he hasn’t had time for — like attending a game of the team he has supported through two lean decades.
“It’s been tough,” said Neil, who subscribes to DirecTV solely so he can watch Dolphins games when they don’t air locally. “I had my couch for eight years at the sports book at Red Rock Casino [in Las Vegas]. I would bet two different things. Bet the Dolphins in one parlay and then the other games in the other. They’re fun to root for. [But] this season, it’s like holy [expletive] man.”
Neil is part of a shockingly large group of celebrities who bleed aqua and orange.
Other high-profile Dolphins fans include Alex Rodriguez and Jennifer Lopez, Johnny Depp, Daniel Tosh and of course Darius Rucker. And that doesn’t even include the organization’s star minority owners Marc Anthony, Fergie and Venus and Serena Williams.
While Sunday’s quick visit to Hard Rock Stadium — the group will fly in the day of the game and will have a charter waiting to take them back as soon as it ends — is for pleasure, the next time Neil is there will be all business.
Mötley Crüe, the iconic heavy metal rock band that has sold more than 100 million albums worldwide, turns 40 next year, and to celebrate they’re criss-crossing the country for their first tour since 2015.
The local show will be June 26 — COVID willing.
If the Dolphins win here Sunday, that return to South Florida might feel like “Home Sweet Home” for Neil.
But if they lose to the Patriots ?
It will just be the “Same Ol’ Situation.”
This story was originally published December 18, 2020 at 10:50 AM.
