Review of Monster Jam at Freedom Hall in Louisville
Talk about action-packed! The loud noises alone thrill most kids (and many dads!), but you can also buy special headsets to help muffle the sound or go with good old-fashioned ear plugs. The headsets they sell at the show were super cute and shaped like big monster truck tires. My son was a little fearful of the thought of noise, even with ear plugs, and we were just about to go see about buying a headset when a really nice fan next to use offered to let him wear her unused plain one. After that, my son uncovered his ears and had an absolute ball!
The show kept all of us really involved almost the entire time. The only “down time” is in between types of events, but they have other entertainment during the first two and suggest using the longer third one as an intermission to stretch, use the restroom, or grab food, drink, or souvenirs. We enjoyed the 4 wheelers and Motorcross in between monster truck events almost as much as the monster trucks! They even had fun giveaways in between and encouraged the crowd to get loud and dance to win prizes. The main events included some opening stunts, racing, and the very popular freestyle event. We enjoyed each of those and my son was mesmerized watching how high in the air some of the trucks go as they make their way over giant dirt mounds and old junked cars.
You can tell how professional and how much practice these drivers have to do to perform these awesome tricks and stunts. My son already plays Monster trucks with his official toys and other trucks and cars and I am sure that play will increase significantly this week. He is already talking about when he’ll be old enough to do bike stunts or drive a big truck, so just remember to remind your little ones that they are all done by pros and not anything to try at home just yet!
They had numerous souvenirs for sale, like monster truck hat cotton candy and souvenir cup snow cones for $15 each, the boomerang style toy for $20, several t-shirts, and my son’s choice, a nice quality $5 checkered flag. There were lots of concession choices if you needed a snack, but we stopped for an inexpensive fast dinner on our way to Freedom Hall and were not hungry enough to try anything, even though the soft pretzels and flavored popcorn sure looked tasty.
Overall, we had a fabulous time and made some fun family memories together with a relaxed family crowd who seemed to move around more often than not, so between that and the loud trucks, you have no fear of your little ones disturbing anyone. I loved all of the stunts, but really enjoyed watching some of the monster trucks preform doughnuts. It is quite a sight! Many people waited in line at some tables near the front entrance where the announcer said all of the drivers would be a few minutes after the show for autographs.
Or if you really are up for a treat, you might get lucky enough to still be able to buy a Total Access Pass so you can avoid the lines, skip the crowds and enjoy VIP access Saturday evening. They sell a VERY limited number of these so if you missed your chance this year, remember to buy in advance next time they come to town. This $65 pass gets you the best seats and exclusive access to drivers with a private meet and greet from 4:00PM – 5:00PM before the more crowded Pit Party begins.
Go get you tickets and ear protection now so you do not have to wait until they come back to town! You might want to dress warmly under your coat since the arena seemed to be cooled off sometimes as the trucks heated up the track. If you simply can’t make it to tonight’s show, go to http://www.mosterjam.com/ to see if they are coming to another city you might be able to enjoy them in or for when they come back to Louisville next. You can get on their email list and follow them on social networking too so you get advance notice.
My family can hardly wait for the next time they come to town!
By guest contributor: Angela