Monster Jam set to invade Albany this weekend
ALBANY, N.Y. – On Saturday and Sunday, the Times Union Center in Albany will be the host to many wildly painted participants of a Monster Jam.
They go by names like Avenger, Barbarian, Bounty Hunter, Earth Shaker, Stone Crusher and Wolf’s Head. Their goal is to take down the infamous champion the Grave Digger.
The uninitiated might think the event is a convention of villains from the Marvel Super Hero films. No. Monster Jam is a competition of huge, specially created trucks driven to do mind-boggling things that amaze and delight large, enthusiastic audiences.
Grave Digger is, without question, the best known monster truck in the world. Its driver is Randy Brown, who calls Monster Jam “Thrillingly unpredictable.” He explains: “When a truck lands after a 30foot fall, things do not always end well. It’s thrilling both to the audience and to the driver.”
A Monster Jam is, basically, a series of non-head to head competitions between the massive, sturdy trucks and their drivers. Each participant is given a score by a jury. There is a winner of every competition and the highest cumulative score of the evening is the victor for that evening’s contests.
The points go towards qualifying for the national competition.
However, it is the Freestyle that is the main event. “It’s everyone’s favorite,” says Brown, “There are no rules. You just have fun. You can push it to the limit.”
The 47 year old Brown has been driving for over 20 years, the last 17 as a member of the Grave Digger team. Over the phone he sounds like a modest, but confident, individual. His answers are thoughtful and smart. His favorite salutation is “Sir,” and he uses it respectfully, but not subserviently. His knowledge and ability to explain complex technology is such that if you didn’t know Brown was the driver of a Monster Truck, you might think he was an astronaut.
However, his down-toearth demeanor is such that in some parts of the country the North Carolina native might be described as “real folk.”
In the world of Monster Trucks Brown is a self-made man. He tells of being offered an opportunity to join the Grave Digger team as a young man. “I talked it over with my father and decided to turn it down. I didn’t think I was ready. I didn’t want to be the guy who let the team down.”
He formed his own team and for three years developed his skills and his reputation. Grave Digger offered again and he accepted. “I knew I was ready as a driver,” he says. “What I didn’t know was I wasn’t ready for all the acclaim and attention that came from being a member of the team.”
But maturity came with experience. Today, Brown is a highly respected role model for younger drivers, many of whom consider him a mentor. “About them”, Brown says, “they are really good. When I started, you had to learn by competing. Now there’s the Monster Jam Academy. The young drivers today arrive almost like they are veterans.”
He attributes youthful thinking and the use of computers for the advanced stunts that are performed today. Brown says what was once thought impossible, is now commonplace. Sounding a bit like an engineer talking about aero physics, he says, “Computers can help us understand and test the dynamics of what can work before we try them.
“Years ago, the idea of doing a two-wheeler on the front wheels was like science fiction. The changes are just unbelievable.”
One of his favorite things is to meet up with retired veterans of the tour and tell them what’s going on.
“Sometimes, I meet up with someone who was on the tour 30 years ago. I describe some stunts and I just love watching them shake their heads”, he says, adding an understanding laugh.
But not all the technology goes towards stunts. Brown says driver and crowd safety has improved greatly citing improved helmets, restraints and custom molded seats. Electronic fuel injection lessens the chance of an explosion.
There is also a concerted effort to control reckless behavior. To prevent a dangerous situation at an event there are tour officials on site with two-way radios who can warn drivers they are endangering the audience and themselves. As a last resort, for those who don’t listen, they have a control that can turn off the engine of the truck.
Brown reluctantly agrees with the monitoring. “There is a temptation for drivers to go too far. We all want to test our limits. We also want to please the audience who comes to see us challenge ourselves and the machines. I think we can do both without putting anyone in danger.”
Asked his favorite part of Monster Jam, Brown replied as a man in love with his craft. Almost wistfully he answers, “Just being in the truck.”
Monster Jam, at the Times Union Center, Albany Performances 1 and 7 p.m. Saturday, and 1 p.m. Sunday. Tickets available at box office and ticketmaster. com