Thursday, May 2

Boom Boom Huckjam Kickoff

By Hezekiah Blake
EXPN.com

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Next up is Mike Ness and Social D. The stage floats above the event floor so the band can be seen from the vast majority of the arena. Social D rocked the house with many of the old favorites, while an impressive jam session played out on the vert ramp. Despite Mirra's fluidity earlier, I think his best runs happened during the Social D set (Mirra can be seen wearing a Mike Ness shirt at times)…he sessioned the vert for a bit of the set them sat down to watch the band. After Ness sang "Outlaw love song" he stopped singing and said "Evening Vegas, Social D has been coming to Vegas for 20 years …and 20 years ago, Vegas was one of the only place that would have Social D". With that, it's intermission time. After intermission, the event floor looks quite different…a roll-in towers above the ramp and it is obvious that it's time for the long jump. As the session progresses, it seems as though Kevin Robinson and his textbook backflips will be the highlight, but to finish the segment, Kevin drops in and Andy Macdonald follows a second later. They are in the air together…Robinson's backflip and Andy Mac's 360 varial. It was a thing of beauty.

We flow into FMX. This time all four riders share the oval track. Cinqmars and Faisst are one pair that seem to be sometimes chasing, and sometimes leading Hart and Dymond. They aren't simply rats on a tumbler, these boys are literally unloading the tricks that make the ladies avert their eyes.

The fembots, such a great touch. Tony knows it's all in the details.

The Fembots announce Act 7…Doubles. The doubles here are BMX and Skate, not simply pairs from either discipline. I can only put it this way. It was off the hook. Not only do the bikes air over the skaters but the skaters air over the bikes (something I have only seen once or twice before). Everyone participates in this segment of the show…it's a must see.

The house lights go down and the viruses again push us into the closing musical act…the Offspring. I have to say that the Offspring deliver a strong performance, but I preferred Mike Ness and Social D to the radio favorites that the Offspring delivered. The closing acts left me breathless. All the skaters and bikers were on the vert ramp, everyone The five skaters dropped in and with roughly 2 feet of play between them and they flew around the ramp. The best way I can describe it is as a "grinding snake." Both halves of the ramp were utilized, as the five grinded the bridge of death and aired the channel. At some point the bike riders joined in and raised the bar. Mat's overhead airs, Kevin's corkscrews, DMC's endo wheelies, Mirra and Parker's flow. A couple of minutes into the vert portion, Hart, Faisst, Cinqmars, and Dymond rode to the top of their landing ramps and began revving their engines. At the last minute, they joined in…the house erupted. 14 of the world's top professionals in each of 3 sports were sharing the event floor and putting on a true spectacle. The segment ends and the house goes dark.

The moto boys get ready to drop in.

The lights come up again and Hoffman (the inventor of the bicycle stunt 900) and Hawk (originator and only purveyor of the skateboard 900) share the ramp. The synchronized routine that ensues brings the house down and can only be witnessed…this is not the medium to describe what happened when the Birdman and the Condor shared the same aviary in Las Vegas.

It took the thoughts and musings of many, but it took the vision and commitment of one man, Tony Hawk to make the Boom Boom HuckJam more than an idea. Tony has outdone himself with this one. Not only did it bring the house down in Las Vegas Nevada, but it will bring the house down 24 more times before Christmas. This fall, be on the look out for Tony Hawk's Boom Boom HuckJam in a city near you. "….won't you take a sentimental journey home?"

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Related Photos:
Huckjam Backstage Photos
Huckjam Scene Photos