The Kansas City Royals offer a host of baseball-themed promotions to draw fans. Dozens of bobblehead and t-shirt giveaways are planned each summer. Fireworks shows and opportunities to run the bases attract families.

Non-sports themes can raise eyebrows amongst true baseball fans. Star Wars nights and 80s nights are tolerated annually. This season has seen Game of Thrones Night and Stranger Things Night. Strange things, indeed, to encounter at a baseball game.

But the celebration planned for Friday, Aug. 16, ties together music history and Kansas City history with a touch of baseball history for flavor.

Fifty-five years ago, the Beatles stormed America in a way famous athletes could never dream of. They exploded on the scene via two Ed Sullivan appearances and a handful of concerts in February of 1964. America wanted more, and the Beatles returned in late summer to continue their conquest. Numerous shows were planned, but Kansas City was nowhere on the list.

The Kansas City baseball team of that time was the Athletics, a moribund club owned by insurance tycoon Charlie Finley. The A’s played their games at aging Municipal Stadium, and Finley made no bones about his desire to take the A’s elsewhere. For that, and for the dreadful product on the field, Finley was despised in Kansas City.

But for at least a few weeks, Finley endeared himself to a mostly non-baseball segment of the city when he ponied up a small fortune to convince the Beatles to add a stop on their tour of the U.S., a fall concert at Municipal Stadium.

While the Royals plan to celebrate the anniversary of the concert on Aug. 16, the actual concert occurred on Sept. 17. For the Beatles Night at the K game against the New York Mets, the Royals promise a fireworks show set to Beatles music. And with the purchase of a special theme ticket will come a Beatles mug. You can bet there will be plenty of Beatles songs, videos and trivia throughout the night.

Known for his deep pockets and extremely short arms, as well as his antipathy for Kansas City, the curmudgeonly A’s owner hardly seems like the type to fawn over rock stars. But Finley hounded the Beatles into coming to KC, and paid dearly for it.

At a time when Frank Sinatra commanded $10,000 to $15,000 per show, Finley offered $50,000. “No” was the band’s response. They were making between $20,000 and $40,000 per appearance, but they relished their few days off too much.

How about $100,000? “Still no,” the band replied. Finally Finley offered the unfathomable sum of $150,000 for a concert at Municipal Stadium – by far the most anyone had ever paid for a musical performance. The band relented.

Municipal Stadium was available for the added concert because Finley’s A’s were on a road trip on Sept. 17, 1964. They were en route to a 57-105 record, so no one in Kansas City missed them.

Finley was going to have a hard time recouping his investment considering that tickets sold for between $2 and $8.50 a seat. On top, he promised to make a $25,000 donation to Children’s Mercy Hospital to celebrate the event. Surprisingly, a few seats went unsold for the show.

Following a show in New Orleans, the Beatles flew into KC and stayed at the Hotel Muehlbach. The hotel removed all the furniture from the lobby for fear of being overrun by fans. The bed sheets from the Fab Four’s suites were cut into one-inch pieces and sold.

Following some warm-up acts, the Beatles opened with “Kansas City/Hey-Hey-Hey,” Finley’s investment didn’t buy any extra music from the visitors. They played for just 31 minutes. They finished with an encore of “Going to Kansas City.”

The Beatles 1964 concert in Kansas City stands out for a few reasons. The 41,000-seat stadium was one of the biggest the Beatles played on the tour, and Kansas City was one of the smallest markets. The concert was one of the few that didn’t sell out, and was probably the only show to lose money.

A lot has changed in 55 years. Today’s Royals players might be hard pressed to name more than a couple of Beatles songs. Alex Gordon could just about pay what it took to bring the Beatles to town with what he will earn on Beatles Night at the K – he earns $123,456 per game.

Finley and the A’s moved to Oakland after the 1967 season, without many tears from Kansas Citians. The Royals arrived for the 1969 campaign. The Beatles broke up in 1970. Two of the four members of the band have since passed away.

But for one night, the Beatles and baseball will intersect, in a union less strange than a Stranger Things Night at the K.