Went to "Monster Jam" today, and boy, do I feel ripped off...

[Kruzin]

"Monster Jam" is a monster truck rally that comes through town once or twice a year. I usually take the kids, and my dad for his birthday, since it usually comes to town the weekend after his bday. This year was no different. The kids love monster trucks, and me and dad are good ol Detroit motor heads. So I went and got the tickets a few days ago for todays show.

In years past, it has been held at the Denver Collosium, which is smaller than most of the venues you usually see on TV, but large enough to have a decent short track with a turn, a couple jumps, and a couple lines of crush cars.
Additionally, they would run a series of "tough truck" races, where locals would take out their hopped up (or old beater) 4x4s, and have some fun racing, and put on a good little side show for the crowd.
They also run "Quad wars", which is a series of ATV races that is so obviously fake, it make WWF wrestling look real.
Last year, they also included one of those "transformer" type giant dinosaur machines that rips cars apart and torches them.

This year, they moved it to the Pepsi Center, Denvers new home for the Avalanche and Nuggets. A very nice arena. So naturally, the ticket price went up. 2 adults and 2 kids tickets cost me $76 (and these where the cheap seats!), plus $10 for parking, and $30 for hotdogs and drinks.
I can deal with that if I am treated to a good show...
BUT the floor space in Pepsi Center is even smaller than the collosium. So the track for the races was nothing more than a start line, one jump, 3 crush cars, and a finish line (x2, one left lane, one right lane). This means each race was about 2.2 seconds long.
There was also not enough room for the tough trucks races, so they where omitted.
And the quad wars races where as cheesy as ever...but at least me and my dad had a good time laughing at the screaming morons who obviously thought these races where real
And instead of the transformer thing chewing up cars for 20 min, they had a motorcycle stunt guy who did ONE jump over the hoods of two whole trucks (oooh, aaah, wow!)

So, with the shortened perfomance list (no tough trucks), the sickengly short tracks (with only 6 monster trucks racing), and the obscene prices for everything involved, I ended up shelling out well over a hundred bucks for LESS THAN 2 hours of mediocre entertainment.

To put it mildly, I am somewhat disappointed.
Next time, I'm going to the drag races....


(end venting mode)

[JacobM5727]

thats too bad.. i have always wanted to go.. guess its not worth it anymore..

there is always that big sale thing, i think its at the collosseum...playstation games $9 and so on... lol

[Speed]

I was supposed to go this weekend, but they are coming back on the 26th! Ive been to 6 of them here in California. Thay just are bad a$$!! I love seeing Grave Digger break apart all over the place! I have pictures of the last one I went to. These shows are just to much!!!


(can you tell I like them?)

Dave.

[Kruzin]

Well, I've been to at least that many in the past, and have always been satisfied with the show. But believe me, if you had seen this one, you would also be as dissappointed as I am.

And since you brought up Grave Digger, that reminds me of another gripe.
They promoted this show with Digger being the headliner truck.
But the Digger they had there was NOT the main Digger truck, but one of the older ones, with a third string driver...Dennis Anderson was nowhere to be seen.

[vass0922]

That blows
I seen the gravedigger truck not too long ago at the washington auto show pretty awesome!

Sorry to your your misfortune I've always wanted to go to one of those but have yet to have the oppurtunity. Can't believe that they would raise the cost, but lower the fun. Last I heard that wasn't supposed to be indirectly proportional lol

Well I guess those are the times of today.

[Speed]

He was most likly over here at the California show. I know that they have 2 main drivers for Grave Digger. -----WHOOAA... I just read that there are six drivers for Grave Digger! Dennis Anderson, Pablo Huffaker, Charlie Pauken, Scott Pointbriand, Gary Porter & Rod Schmidt! You can get more iformation about the trucks and thier drivers here:
GraveDigger. I met Dennis Anderson at a show and he is the one of the nicest guys. Even walked with me to my 4X4 and let me show it off to him! Grave Digger is a great truck even though it is a chevy But did you know that the original Grave Digger was a FORD ? Well, I got off the subject here... I'm sorry to hear that your show wasnt all that it should have been. Try writing the USHRA, and let them know what you felt about the show, you never know, they just might send you some free tickets!

Dave

[Graham]

I understand your anger, I only have one son, but a friend had five kids (2 boys). Although he is in a reasonably well paid job, he has to think twice about going anywhere, (the zoo, theme park etc).
These things are often an anti-climax, and if you have paid through the nose to get in then you really feel shafted, then you have the travelling to consider, these events are usually miles away.

I would complain to the organisers, if nothing else it'll let them know they got it wrong, and there is just the possibility of compensation (ha).
It sounds as if there may have been some underhand dealings in the selection of the venue,surely they know if an arena is not big enough. Perhaps the new stadium was cheap just to get the business, or there may have been a few "greasy palms" about.


G

[Kruzin]

Originally posted by Speed
He was most likly over here at the California show. I know that they have 2 main drivers for Grave Digger. -----WHOOAA... I just read that there are six drivers for Grave Digger! Dennis Anderson, Pablo Huffaker, Charlie Pauken, Scott Pointbriand, Gary Porter & Rod Schmidt!

Yea... we got Scott Pointbriand, which IMO is their 3rd sting driver, behind Gary Porter (who is legend himself, that made history in the old "Carolina Crusher" truck), and the real Digger man, Dennis Anderson.

You can get more iformation about the trucks and thier drivers here:
GraveDigger.

It was from Grave Digger's site that I determined it was either Digger 8 or 10 we saw this weekend, based on the suspension and frame. They are up to Digger 14 these days, and as you said they have 6 drivers, driving various incarnations of Digger across the country at any given time...which means we got an old one, and the "good" current Digger, and it's main driver/founder where not part of the show, which makes me feel like I was sucked in by false advertising. Fortunately, my kids don't know the difference, and they still enjoyed seeing "a" grave digger in action. I, however, do not see it the same way they do...

I met Dennis Anderson at a show and he is the one of the nicest guys. Even walked with me to my 4X4 and let me show it off to him! Grave Digger is a great truck even though it is a chevy But did you know that the original Grave Digger was a FORD ?

I'm sure Dennis is a nice person...I've seen many interviews with him over the years, and he has seemed an amicable guy...unfortunately, I think he has been sucked up in the corporate machine that is "Clear Channel Entertainment", and he is no longer the core of what Grave Digger was in the years past.... At this point, the name "Grave Digger" is more important to the corporation than the founder and originator used to be...

Well, I got off the subject here... I'm sorry to hear that your show wasn't all that it should have been. Try writing the USHRA, and let them know what you felt about the show, you never know, they just might send you some free tickets!
Dave

I may do just that. Perhaps a letter to the corporation will let them know how a true racing fan feels about what they have done to the sport....but I seriously doubt it would do any good, as they only listen to the almighty dollar...and that arena was about sold out(at inflated prices), and will probably be so next year as well (though they will NOT get my cash next time around)...

[Kruzin]

Not one to doddle when irked, I have taken the advice given here, and mailed Clear Channel Entertainment to express my feelings. I expect nothing will come of this, but at least I have gotten it off my chest, and hopefully someone at this company will take some notice.
This is what I mailed to them:

To whom it may concern:

I recently attended a "Monster Jam" monster truck race at Denver's Pepsi
Center, promoted by Clear Channel entertainment.
At this time, I would like to point out my disappointment, and disgruntlement
in your show.
Rather than re-type all I have already voiced, I would kindly ask you to take a
couple of minuets to read what I have posted in a popular public forum, and
consider what I have said there.
Please see the following forum thread for my full opinion:
http://www.techimo.com/forum/t9891.html

To Put it simply, I will not be spending my hard-earned dollars on any Clear
Channel event in the foreseeable future, given my experience of this weekend.
This includes concerts, motorsports, and any other event that Clear Channel
is connected to.
I hope to make you aware of my disappointment in the quality of your show,
and that my experience has cast a dark shadow on what I used to think of as
good entertainment. You will not get any more of my dollars injected into
your promotional events, and this whole episode has greatly lowered my
opinion of your company as a whole.

Thank you for your attention.
"Kruzin" Ken Husak

Oh That's a drag!
I have always wanted to see one of those shows too....