Monster Jam!

So, some of you may know, having seen my posts on BrightKite and such, last weekend I attended Monster Jam with my sister and our young cousin. Now, fair warning, this is the first monster truck rally I've been to since I was probably... 8 years old. Thus, the perspective may be a bit warped, but who's isn't.

It is also the first rally I've been to which was held at the Sprint Center in Downtown Kansas City. Before the Sprint Center was accessible to this type of event, they were held at Kemper Arena, in the West Bottoms. So needless to say, what used to be an affair to peruse among WTC (white trash city) for a couple hours, has now been classed up, and is more about the Big Trucks and making sure your earplugs stay in than anything.

And for me, it was also about taking some photos. Most of them were so blurry, you couldn't tell if the trucks were jumping old cars or just really large appliances, but regardless, I managed to salvage a few moments, and here they are for your viewing pleasure.

In true Monster Jam fashion, the first thing you always do is find the cup holder for your Nasty Light, stand up, remove your hat, and place your hand on your heart for the great country of 'Merica. Sarcasm aside though, I thought it was especially touching that the motocross drivers were the ones holding the flag for this short ceremony. It was almost sweet enough to make me tear up. Unfortunately, I was too busy wincing at the poor dear singing the National Anthem. Oh well, we can't have everything...

So now we set the stage for the Big Trucks with a huge introduction and flexing of muscles. Some of the names were kind of charming, like Rammunition and Devastator. I think the two most popular trucks at the Jam were Grave Digger and El Toro Loco. (I grew up in the Big Foot era, so all you folk new to this shindig are missing out, just saying). If you're interested in viewing the full list of the most innovative names for today's trucks, click here and scroll down to the "Monster Jam Truck Bios" section. Maybe you will then be inspired to name your own vehicle, or bicycle, or metro seat...

Now, I don't feel like I got my true monies worth here, having just figured out that there is an Iron Man monster truck in existence, but I'll find a way to deal. Because, what I did see was some guy raise himself up about 100 feet or so in a cherry picker, light himself on fire, and free fall into the inflatable pit you see in the picture above. Unfortunately all the shots I got of him falling were so dark and blurry, but this is the aftermath of the fall, just before the extinguishing. Talk about crazy.

A close up shot reveals the remarkable prowess of the beast glimmering in the spotlight, while the crowd is hovering on the edge of their seats. (You can't really see that last part, but trust me, I was there... and hovering, maybe.)

This last shot is really just a money shot, a different take on the Monster Jam action —that of an artful display of painted steel and big wheel tracks, and one brave man orchestrating it all, down in the dirt.