Monster Jam - Orlando 2022

 I have been wanting to take the kids to Monster Jam for years. A few years ago I was going to buy tickets but I think we ended up going to SoCal that weekend for Zach's birthday or something. I was on Facebook a couple months ago and I got hit with a Monster Jam ad. I couldn't resist anymore and I bought the tickets. 

Dean was being a real stinker about Monster Jam. He kept telling me Monster Jam is stupid and boring and he doesn't want to go. He would say things just to antagonize me, because that's how Dean is. When we got to Monster Jam he kept saying it's dumb, until the driving started. At one point he started clapping but then looked over to make sure we weren't watching him get excited. After Monster Jam he no longer says it's stupid. Now I catch him playing with his cars saying Monster Jam in the silly voice we use whenever we say Monster Jam.

Everyone loved Monster Jam, even Natalie. She thought it would be meh but ended up really enjoying it. It's not like the monster truck shows of the 80's and 90's with Bigfoot smashing cars. The first part of the event was the races, which were cool but after a while it's all kinda the same. Then they go into a series of tricks followed by intermission and then freestyle. Freestyle was definitely the best. 

We went there rooting for Grave Digger. Well Grave Digger was having a bad night. During the races Grave Digger did what looked like a good jump but the engine stalled and it landed on the roof. They repaired Grave Digger but then freestyle was ended with a flip that landed it on the roof. All of us have a new favorite, Son-Uva-Digger. I had no idea how any of this worked so I was using Google during the show. For one I didn't know that a lot of the trucks have multiple drivers. I was expecting Krysten Anderson to be driving Grave Digger but this night it was Brandon Vinson. All of Dennis' kids have driven for Grave Digger, 3 of them are still on the team, the exception being Ryan. Ryan went off and created Son-Uva-Digger and this guy is in a league of his own. Adam Anderson is supposed to be driving Grave Digger at the next show we go to and they don't have Ryan Anderson scheduled, yet. There is a not that they will add additional drivers and I'm really hoping they add Ryan and Son-Uva-Digger.

https://thenewswheel.com/history-of-grave-digger-monster-truck/

Like I said, freestyle was the best part of the night. They get a couple minutes to do all kinds of tricks. If they don't last at least 30 seconds they don't get any points. A lot of drivers like to make it past the 30 seconds to qualify for points and then they do more daring tricks at the end. 

Well they saved the best for last. Like I said, Ryan Anderson is in a league of his own. No one else even comes close. He goes balls out from the start and just keeps getting crazier. After landing a backflip he went to his side and then managed to do a bicycle and spin out of it. At the very end he lands on the roof of Son-Uva-Digger and he managed to throw it in reverse and flip back out of it. Just look at YouTube videos of Ryan Anderson and you'll quickly learn why he's so popular. It wasn't this show. At every show he does stunts that would end a night for an ordinary driver but he manages to pull out of it. 

Needless to say after a night at Monster Jam this family is a fan. The boys are getting Monster Jam toys for Christmas and all of us are getting tickets for Monster Jam 2023. A couple days after Monster Jam we were watching some videos online. I told the kids we were going to go to the night of destruction in Orlando but it's anniversary week so it's a no go. Well I pulled up videos to show them what that is. Figure 8 bus races and junker trucks pulling trailers in a last man standing wreck race. Some truly redneck stuff. 

Bakugan Dragonoid 

El Toro Loco

They're trying to convince everyone that is a tail on the Dalmatian.

Wild Side doing a back flip.

 

Grave Digger.

This one lost his front tire on the jump.

Grave Digger

End of the night for Grave Digger.

Ryan Anderson tearing it up in Son-Uva Digger. The best part of the entire night. Just wait til the end.

Son-Uva-Digger.

Here comes the back flip.

Bad landing? Nope, he's good.

Landing upright at the end was unbelievable. 

Not my videos, but some other really good videos of Ryan Anderson in Son-Uva-Digger.

This is what ended Dennis Anderson's career in Raymond James Stadium (Tampa) in 2017.