The show was beyond incredible. Pure and simple. The texts I was sending to my husband throughout the show were much more colorful in their descriptions, but this is a family-friendly newsletter. Seeing giant (okay, MONSTER) trucks going vertical before slamming onto cars while you’re praying they don’t flip or otherwise land in the stands gives a quite the adrenaline rush.
If that failed to get your heart-rate up, then the donuts where “El Toro” specifically ended up on two wheels while spinning rapidly certainly should. Or perhaps you’d like the 800lb GOLF CART with an army helicopter engine attached to the back for 1500 horse power to zip through the stadium. If you were chilly before he came onto the floor, you certainly were not afterwards. Those were some seriously hot flames coming out of that golf cart. GOLF CART. Did I mention it was a golf cart? My first car (car, not golf cart) had 80hp….this had 1500hp.
Just saying. These people are crazy with the ideas they come up with.
Sean’s favorite part was the Megasauras, which reminds me of those Bot Wars popular a few years back on television. Except this thing is larger than the monster trucks, transforms into mechanical dinosaur / dragon, and is complete with fire breathing technology. This creature of insanity rolls onto the floor, transforms into it’s frightening new form, pick up a car, and proceeds to chew the car in half with its jaws.
At first I was a little confused why we were watching this Megasaurus chewing on a car, other than the kids were extremely entertained, until the car split in half and was dropped to the ground. It was pretty amazing to see something normally available in comic books and movies come to life from someone’s imagination.
Throughout the show, the show producers did a great job of keeping things fast paced. The winner of the Monster Jam “car jumping” contest, donut contest, etc. would sign a plaque and race it into the stands for a fan to have. There were contests for the children to win Hot Wheels Monster Truck toys, t-shirts chucked into the stands with tickets to Nuclear Cowboyz and Ringling Bros tucked inside, and many more. My favorite part was the ATV races, which as embarrassing as it is to admit, reminded me of some really fun childhood times at a neighbors house riding on the ATVs. Ahhh, nostalgia.
At this point I feel like I’m gushing, but truly this is not the Monster Truck show I remember from 15 years ago. I came out of this amazed and very happy to have attended. Plus my son, at the ripe old age of 3, sat for the ENTIRE 2 ½ hours (we sat 15 minutes early) and watched the show. If you have a 3yo, you know their attention span is normally, well, non-existent.
Now, I’m sure many of you have two main questions outside of the entertainment value. One is the noise level. Yes, it is quite loud. Bring ear protection for your child (at a minimum) or purchase some there. I went thinking it would be loud for me, but I could cover my ears as needed. Well, imagine trying to take camera phone picture with one hand (or feeding your child or yourself), having your ear plugged with the other, and attempting to put your shoulder into the open ear. Yeah. Bring yourself some earplugs or protection.
The second question you may have is about the fumes. As I mentioned previously, it’s been 15 years since I’ve seen my last Monster Truck show, and what do I remember from that show? The fumes, and only the fumes. TheIZODCenterdid a fantastic and amazing job of addressing that issue. While I’m unable to describe how they vent the fumes, I could feel the constant cool air rushing in as they vented it outside. I wasn’t chilly or cold as a result, and very grateful at the job they did to keep the air clean.
So if my gushing review didn’t convince you to go, hopefully this will: Go. Just Go. Bring your sons. Bring your daughters. Go. Have a great, action packed adventure for your family to see. G-O.
There are shows still available within our traveling area. Check them out at http://www.monsterjam.com/ and let us know what you thought of the show!
