From the first 360 from Tony Hawk to the final superman grab from Carey Hart, the Boom Boom HuckJam was a sensory overload that left my ears ringing, my head shaking and every synapse in my brain tingling with excitement.
Tony Hawk's Boom Boom HuckJam is an action sports and music show featuring the world's greatest skateboarders, BMX riders and motocross masters. The tour started on October 9, 2002 in Portland, Oregon and is hitting 22 cities across the United States. Kidzworld caught the show at the Tacoma Dome in Washington where a couple of hours before the show, Andy Macdonald told Kidzworld, "Skating in the Boom Boom Huckjam is great because something like this has never been done before. The crowd is going to be blown away with what they see here tonight." Andy wasn't wrong.
For over two hours, Tony Hawk and his friends blew away the crowd with an awesome exhibition of vert skating, BMX tricks and moto-x jumps on a million-dollar course that included a half-pipe, a 30-foot gap jump, and a high-tech ramp system.
Tony Hawk, Andy Macdonald, Mat Hoffman, Carey Hart and the rest of the athletes on the tour spent several days practicing for the Boom Boom HuckJam in an airplane hangar in California. The guys obviously picked up some aerial inspiration from their practice facility, as every minute of the October 10th show featured a wild assortment of high-flying maneuvers. A BMX backflip from Dave Mirra, a 540 from Tony Hawk, a superman grab from Carey Hart - it was all there. During one point in the show, all the skaters and BMXers flew over the 30-foot gap jump after flying down a ridiculously steep 35-foot lead in. The crowd went nuts.
While the guys went to work on the course, The Offspring went to work on stage with a 45 minute set that meshed perfectly with the tricks being played out in the half-pipe. The only downside was the crappy accoustics in the Tacoma Dome gave the music an echoey sound that made you think you were listening to The Offspring on your dad's crappy tapedeck in the garage. Aside from that, the Boom Boom Huckjam was a sports and music masterpiece.
The highlight of the show was the final act of the HuckJam known as System Overload. Three skaters and three BMX riders cruised through the half-pipe at the same time while the guys on motocross flew overhead. The riders came so close to each other, that at times, I thought Carey Hart and Dave Mirra were going to have a mid air collision. It was a jaw-dropping spectacle that showed off the athleticism, concentration and creativity these guys bring to their sports. For years, Tony Hawk has been called the world's greatest skateboarder. He's created the world's greatest sports show that definitely delivered the two booms and the jam that he promised.
To find out more info on Tony Hawk's BoomBoom HuckJam and to buy tickets for upcoming shows, head to www.boomboomhuckjam.com.
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