Being at the Monster Truck Jam this past weekend was an incredible, over-the-top experience for all who attended. Trucks weighing 6 tons looking 20-feet tall and snarling engines that seemed louder than a fighter jet screaming towards a good fight, battled to see who could drive the monster beasts faster and with more style than the others. I took my 8-year-old son and his best friend, both of whom were awe inspired the whole time.
Thanks to Feld Entertainment to providing tickets to check out Portland Monster Jam. All opinions are ours.
There were the things you’d expect—beer, American flags, country music T-shirts, relentless commercialism, and way too expensive concessions—and things that were refreshingly surprising for such an event—diversity among the drivers including a female driver, fast-paced continuous action, and a well behaved but raucous crowd enjoying the fun.
It wasn’t just trucks, either. They raced quads and off-road buggies, as well as part of a fast-paced, ongoing 90-minute event.
Driver/Athlete (Drathlete?) Colton Iceberger (ok, it’s Echelberger, but Iceberger sounds more Monster Truckish, and this is what it sounded like when the announcer introduced him) stole the show, consistently scoring more points throughout the event to improve his ranking for the upcoming finals in Florida. And yes, there is a whole ranking system, with brackets, points, winners, and losers like there is in all sports.
Very quickly the boys I brought had emotional favorites to root for and feel the pain of their loss. Gone are the days, at least here, of simply crushing cars and moving on. Fan favorite Grave Digger was hysterical, essentially driving directly behind and shoving out the preceding trucks before each of his runs. And sadly the Scooby Doo truck broke somehow after a 20-foot jump, so we’ll never know if Scoob and the gang could have solved the mystery of how they were going to win.
This is on the list for next time around. Great all around family fun for a fair price. Just remember to bring earplugs!
- Portland Monster Jam Review - March 8, 2019
- What’s it Like to be a Rally Race Team Driver for a Day? - June 12, 2017
- KUBO and the Two Strings Movie Review - August 22, 2016
I never been with a Monstar Jam before. By just merely by seeing the photos, watching this live would be very exciting. Hope to experience it soon.
Monster Jam is pretty cool. My grandsons go every year.