The smell..the rumble in your chest and the way your heart starts to pump blood when you hear the engines start up. It cant be anything other than Monster Jam! My family and I have been to several shows here at the Ford Center, and Roberts Stadium before it was tore down. We are also advid watchers of Monster Jam on television..my boys love these monster trucks! There are pros and cons for watching the event in the Ford Center Stadium. If you have ever watched on tv, then you know how fast the trucks can get and the air they get when making jumps and freestyle performing. The trucks are so big, they dont have much room to maneuver. One truck was able to do donuts..the others tried, but weren't able to pull it off to well. To be honest the stadium is just too small for the trucks to perform to their full potential. We are talking about a truck that is 10, 000lbs or 5 tons..about 12 to 13 feet tall, with tires 5 feet tall! Pushing out about 2000 horsepower! And because the smell of the alcohol fuel is strong they have started putting in scented options. Last nights show was full of cherry scented air, along with the alcohol smell of course! Some pros for the performance were that the Monster Jam series are starting to bring in more popular drivers and professional teams. Actually the driver of the winning truck, Nitro Hornet, Darren Basil, used to drive the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle truck on tv. They did have quite a few more popular trucks last year and I'm sure that they are just trying to mix it up. I did think it was awesome that after Darren won, he wanted to give away his trophy to an audience member and just so happen to walk right down our aisle! Pretty cool to be that close to a driver. That gesture just keeps the audience locked in and participating in the show. Which brings the next pro, the family experience! Kids of all ages and adults and parents enjoy the show together. Although it is VERY loud! If your child or yourself are sensitive to loud noises..better bring some ear plugs. The indoor stadium is lovely when you have a nasty rainy day like we did last night, but there are perks to outdoor racing also. Noise and room temperature are among those things. They have to ventilate the arena from truck fumes so in January it does get a little chilly. It is really just nice to have somewhere local this show goes to because it starts to get pretty pricey traveling to a show. Although tickets are fairly priced, $5 for kids and $20 for adults, thats just where it starts. Bringing me to the final con..how expensive everything is. You expect souvenirs to cost a little more..but $15 for a regular size cotton candy with a Gravedigger flimsy foam hat. Or a $15 Gravedigger cup with a snowcone..really? I took three kids with me, that gets real expensive, real fast. Just to get one regular size Coke and one popcorn was $7.50. They do have alcohol at the events and I cant even imagine how much they were. To be honest I wasn't there to drink beer, it is nice to have that option for the people who are, but I was more worried about spending my money on things that would make it a more enjoyable experience for the kids. To me thats what it's all about. All in all just being around the trucks and hearing them is an exciting time. The biggest downfall was paying the $45 for 3 bags of cotton candy..and the overall expense of the food, drinks, and souvenirs. My kids had a great time, although it was a little too loud for one of them. The show started at 7pm, doors opened at 6pm which is nice when you like to get there a little early and settle it. It lasted a little more than 2 hours. Definitely worth the money it costs to get into the show. Thanks for letting me review the Monster Jam show. We had a great time and will definitely be going back next year!
