As the snow falls yet again, kids (and parents) are stirring with boredom from cabin fever. If you’re willing to escape the confines of the indoors, there’s fun to be had that doesn’t involve shoveling snow.
If your family is into monster trucks and motor sports, Monster Jam is in town and is ready to excite.
Hailing from the south, big trucks are a way of life down there. Big trucks and big wheels equal big fun from where we come from. What was originally planned as a whole family outing, turned into a date with just the big boy to the first night of Monster Jam at the IZOD Center in East Rutherford, NJ.
Invited as part of blogger outreach, we were treated to an intimate before the show q and a with top driver, Adam Anderson of the famous Gravedigger driving family. And since Gravedigger is a legend from Kill Devil Hills in North Carolina, just a few hours south of our hometown, I took particular interest in meeting Anderson. Well spoken, gracious and proud of his family’s legacy and driving fame, Anderson answered questions from the crowd and gave us some cool information about Gravedigger history.
Afterwards, we all took part in the pre-show pit party, which was just as fun. With special entrance, show-goers had the chance to get up close and personal with drivers and the trucks. This cool hour before the show gave fans an opportunity take photos and collect autographs. Biggie had the best time flipping through the yearbook to check out drivers and trucks, and in turn, get autographs on those pages. I totally get why my friends and family back home have been huge fans of these sort of rallys and monster truck shows.
Some of the trucks in the NJ show included: Grave Digger, Madusa, Grave Digger The Legend, Captain America, Thrasher, Black Stallion, Overkill Evolution, Crushstation, Storm Damage.
As the lights were dimmed, the main attraction started promptly at 7:30, as all the drivers paraded in their trucks started the show. The drivers started an exciting showcase with a wheelie competition and were then rated for their performance. One by one, they revved their engines and charged two piles of old cars. Biggie cheered for his favorite, Captain America, while I cheered for the Legend, of course. The Legend outperformed the other drivers and was given an award before the crowd. I loved the announcer and drivers’ interaction with the crowd.
Biggie’s favorite competition was the race between drivers and freestyle. He loved watching the drivers soar over the cars, racing toward the finish. “They go so fast for being so big” he kept saying. I love how wide-eyed he would get from each demo or race. Monster Jam makes for an exciting family outing, or even a boys’ night out. I particularly loved taking my older boy out for one-on-one time, especially for having focused on little brother quite a bit lately. It’s important to have that one-on-one time, and I’m so glad I was able to enjoy that with so much action at Monster Jam.
The show got quite loud at times—really loud—so, I definitely recommend bringing ear protection. The small kind that go into your ear work well. I definitely wouldn’t recommend this show for smaller kids or those who are sensory sensitive to lights and sounds. I was overwhelmed at times, so I couldn’t imagine how a sensitive one would react. For those who like high powered, full energy, thrilling sports, Monster Jam is THE show to check out. The lights, engines, legendary drivers, massive monster trucks and thrilling shows, Monster Jam is a great way to get out and forget about this frightful winter!
Full disclosure: We were given comp tickets to facilitate this review; however, as always, all opinions are my own.