Six Flags Great Adventure: Fright Fest 20th Anniversary

Six Flags Fright Fest

Amusement parks are generally associated with summer, but for me they are more of a fall tradition. The crisp, cool air in October makes it a perfect time for rides and roller coasters while strolling leisurely around the park with your special someone. What’s also good is that you won’t get swamp ass or heat stroke from walking around in mid summer in the blazing Jersey heat. But those aren’t the only reasons of course, the main attraction for many of us in New Jersey is FRIGHT FEST at Six Flags Great Adventure.

Fright Fest is celebrating it’s 20th year and as old as it makes me sound, I’ve been going there way longer than Fright Fest existed! So I’m not a kid anymore, but as I was saying, amusement parks, especially haunted ones, have always been a part of Halloween time for me. Nothing beats the ability to go on thrill rides on a cool, starry autumn night. Six Flags Great Adventure’s Fright Fest captures this feeling perfectly thanks to their team of actors adorned with amazing masks, makeup, and costumes who go lurking around the park creeping everyone out. While this sounds like a blast to me, it’s not for everyone. It’s simple, if you don’t like being scared then don’t go. For families worried about their kids being scared there are plenty of Ghoul-Free zones designated for the faint of heart.

We kicked off October with a trip to Fright Fest. Miss Sexy Armpit gets scared when I start clapping abruptly when the Giants score, so naturally she wouldn’t be able to handle actual scares in something called a TERROR TRAIL. “Which hayride do you want to go on?” I asked her. Of course she replied with “the least scary one.” She got her wish because we wound up on Haunted Wagon Tales, the children’s haunted hayride, listening to songs like “The Addams Family” and “The Flying Purple People Eater,” while waving like dorks to friendly versions of Frankenstein, Dracula, and a so not scary swamp monster. When we answered riddles correctly such as “Who did Frankenstein take to the prom? His GHOUL friend,” then our hayride guide tossed us free candy. Would I have preferred to walk through one of the scarier terror trails? Yes, but it was one of those October nights that I love so much that it didn’t even bother me.

Fright Fest 2011 Six Flags Great Adventure 

This year’s Fright Fest attractions include terror trails, haunted hayrides, and live shows. Here’s the list: The Haunted Heist, Project XI Mortuary Manor, The Demented Forest, Dead Man’s Party, Escape from the Asylum, Hypnosteria, Fright Fest Freakshow, and The Ghoulmaster’s Ghosts and more. One of the coolest and possibly most underrated part of Fright Fest is the Dead and Local Music Showcase where local rock bands take the stage throughout the night. A couple of years back we had the chance to see an awesome KISS tribute band, and last year Sludgey’s favorite band SCARLET CARSON played as well!

The iconic fountain that you see when you first walk into the park is spraying red water indicating that you’ll have a bloody good time. If you’re planning your Halloween related events, then make sure you round up your friends or significant other and feel the thrills and chills of Fright Fest at Six Flags Great Adventure!

Visit the Official Six Flags Great Adventure FRIGHT FEST website:

Batman Six Flags 2008 Coupon Book

Batman Six Flags 2008 Coupon Book

Here’s a Six Flags Great Adventure coupon book from 2008 that I scanned to show you. It combines 2 of my favorites: Batman and Six Flags Great Adventure. Of course, animation is also one of my obsessions as well and that’s also represented with Six Flags occasional mascot, Bugs Bunny. I prefer Bugs over the bald, dancing, “more flags, more fun” guy.

Wolverine Riding Green Lantern?

hugh Jackman Green Lantern 2
Photo Courtesy of Six Flags Great Adventure

Don’t worry, the perverse post title does not mean I’ll be showing some weird super hero porn. This news is rated G. Meaning G for Green Lantern! I just found out that Hugh Jackman a.k.a Wolverine showed up at Six Flags Great Adventure last night to ride the new Green Lantern Coaster! Talk about crossing the streams! Check out these photos courtesy of Six Flags from this monumental Marvel vs. DC moment that happened right here in New Jersey. Who knows, maybe Jackman will stop in again when he’s promoting that silly boxing robots movie.

Hugh Jackman Green Lantern
Photo Courtesy of Six Flags Great Adventure

Green Lantern Coaster Review at Six Flags Great Adventure

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Forgiving Great Adventure for killing The Great American Scream Machine won’t be easy. I figured that if The Green Lantern Coaster blew me away that I’d have an easy time forgetting about one of my favorite coasters of my youth, but no matter how insane the rides get I’ll always have a thing for The Great American Scream Machine. When I was a kid that was the coaster that got major hype, and rightfully so. As the ride started to decline in popularity I would go on it 6 or 7 times per visit. Good luck pulling that off on the new Green Lantern Coaster, even if you have a Flash Pass! Is the new Green Lantern coaster worth waiting on the long lines for? Slip on your power ring and continue reading to find out!

Roller Coaster enthusiasts know that The Green Lantern Coaster is not the first stand up coaster at Six Flags G.A. The standup coaster SHOCKWAVE made its way to Great Adventure in 1990. Back then it was a new gimmick in the coaster world and people were eating it up. The novelty didn’t last long. It was only a couple of years before it was removed from the park. The Green Lantern Coaster offers this gimmick to a new generation.

Now, situated to the right of Superman Ultimate Flight, there’s an enormous power lantern near the entrance. A schnazzy graphic of Green Lantern towers above the beginning of the line. Since this was a season pass only preview there were a lot of pissed off people hanging around this area. I thought this was the long line for the ride, but it was mostly people who didn’t have season passes and were walking away disgruntled. Our wait was less than a mere half hour. While on the line I was pleased to see that similar to Superman Ultimate Flight, there are large comic book panels posted around the ride queue familiarizing those on line with the Green Lantern mythos. It makes me happy anytime the DC Universe is properly represented in a theme park.

After the wait, we were ready to strap ourselves in. The engineer emphasizes that everyone needs to stand up straight and that they can’t sit down on the annoying crotch piece that protrudes from between your legs. This intruding part of the harness is shoved right up under your crotch! Right off the bat I wasn’t a big fan of it because it was uncomfortable. If you’re a guy and plan on riding this, I recommend opting for boxer briefs the day you plan on riding they’ll keep everything nice and secure. Aside from that minor gripe, the ride was pretty damn exciting.

The GL Coaster is innovative and utilizes the most up to date technology to make for an intense experience. As we made our slow ascent, there was audio from the GL characters pumped through the speakers. From there, it epitomizes the term thrill ride. It’s a full throttle and packed with stomach tickling excitement. The speed of the ride is really what left the biggest impression on me. You’ll be tearing through the air at 63 mph. Obviously stay away if you’re not a roller coaster person, but even if you are, this one is not for the amateurs.

Great Adventure History is a treasure trove of New Jersey theme park goodness. If you are fan of Six Flags G.A and have been going there since you were a kid, this site offers so much park history and ephemera that you might not be aware of. Block out some time on your schedule though because I wound up reading it for solid couple of hours.

NJ T-Shirt Tuesday 78: Coaster Hero

Coaster Hero T-shirt
Coaster Hero T-Shirt from Six Flags, Great Adventure

You should only be allowed to wear the Coaster Hero t-shirt from Six Flags Great Adventure if you’ve rode every roller coaster in the park. But what if you can’t make it to Jackson, New Jersey to even attempt that sinuous feat? Well, technologically we’re probably not far away from having a video game chair in our homes that can simulate the same thrilling feeling of a roller coaster. Years ago, games like Sim Coaster and Roller Coaster Tycoon gave us the chance to design our own virtual coasters. Now that we’ve moved well passed Windows 95, who knows where technology will bring us? Rocking out with Guitar Hero for the past several years has been quite a trip so maybe we’ll be able to buy a game that lets us “ride” any coaster in the world in the comfort of our own homes. Or does The Sharper Image have that already?

Come back tomorrow for our thoughts on the new Green Lantern Roller Coaster at Six Flags!

New Green Lantern Roller Coaster at Six Flags Great Adventure!

green lantern coaster
Season Pass holders have access to a special preview of the ride
from May 19th thru May 22nd


What’s better than The Dark Knight Coaster at Six Flags Great Adventure? Almost every ride in the park HA! After Six Flags debuted the last DC Comics Superhero inspired ride The Dark Knight Coaster in a vastly disappointing 2008 premiere, it seems that they are about to redeem themselves.

Presently, The World’s Finest heroes are both heavily represented at Great Adventure. Batman and Superman rides are among some of the best in the park (aside from the lame Dark Knight coaster) which leaves the other members of the Justice League green with envy. One DC hero in particular isn’t going to take it sitting down.

Opening May 25th, the new Green Lantern coaster will be a thrilling experience based on GL’s mystical power ring. The super smooth ride stands 154 feet tall and reaches speeds of 63 mph. It’s now among the tallest and fastest coasters in the world. According to the Six Flags press release the ride will be a towering “…15 stories high with over three quarters of a mile of twisting green steel, this new stand-up coaster will take you on a journey of epic proportions.”

I can’t think of a better movie tie-in than a brand new roller coaster at Six Flags Great Adventure. Green Lantern is finally getting the credit he deserves. People will be coming from all over the place to ride this one! It’s a 2 minute and 30 second adrenaline rush for most people. For me, it’ll be 2 minutes and 30 seconds pretending I’m flying around like Hal Jordan. Hopefully the standing up-upside down part won’t make people morph their green energy into puddles of vomit.

Six Flags Great Adventure
1 Six Flags Boulevard
Jackson, NJ

Ad Jerseum 10: Six Flags Great Adventure’s Fright Fest

Ad Jerseum: So much Jersey advertising it’ll make you vomit!

Six Flags Great Adventure Fright Fest 2010
Here’s Six Flags Great Adventure’s latest online advertisement for their yearly Halloween celebration running through the end of October. The graphic really gets me in the Halloween spirit while the colors and outline of the coaster in the background truly captures the atmosphere of the season. 
There’s nothing better than riding roller coasters on a crisp Fall night. That’s exactly what I did on Saturday October 9th, 2010 at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, NJFright Fest kicks off at Six Flags every October and it’s always my favorite time to visit the park. I’ve been going there since I was a kid and I always try to make it part of my Halloween festivities.
There are Halloween themed shows going on while ghouls and zombies roam around scaring people. If you can get passed the crowds taking pictures of the creepy costumed stalkers, you might be able to get to an actual ride. We only had time to ride one coaster but that was enough for me. The line for Nitro stretched beyond the typical line and into the park itself, but we decided to tough it out. Nitro is the smoothest coaster in the park and gives you the most thrills of any coaster I’ve ever been on.
The other reason we wanted to go on such a busy Saturday night was that the Dirty Jersey Rock and Rollers Scarlet Carson would be performing at the Loud and Local stage (renamed Dead and Local for Fright Fest). It didn’t get any better than this! A perfectly spooky night at Fright Fest, my favorite roller coaster, and a concert from the best rockers from Jersey Scarlet Carson! The band also provided a song for Fright Fest’s Ghoulmaster’s Ghosts show which should be available on iTunes very soon. So, despite the throngs of people and the crazy amount of traffic getting out of there, it was an awesome night. Make sure you get out to Six Flags Great Adventure for Fright Fest if you’re in the area!

Bamboozle Roadshow 2010 Review

If the temperature is pushing 90 degrees with a threat of severe thunderstorms would you want to stand outside for 6 hours? The last thing I wanted to do on an oppressively hot and humid day was to go to an all day outdoor music festival. Even with dark clouds and flashes of lightning looming in the sky, the Jackson, NJ stop of The Bamboozle Roadshow pushed ahead. All the bands I was able to catch remained positive and enthusiastic regardless of the fact the stages looked like their grandmothers houses in the ’80s, with speakers and equipment covered in plastic. Fading in and out in the atmosphere were faint screams of the legions of park and concert goers, mostly young teenagers, whipping around on roller coasters and other thrill rides. There was also the sweet scent of churros creeping up my nostrils as Six Flags Great Adventure set the perfect scene for a sweltering day of music and rides.

The bands featured on The Bamboozle Roadshow were divided onto 2 stages. The first 8 bands played on a stage by The Dark Knight Coaster while the headlining acts got an actual arena (The Northern Star Arena), which felt like it was 17 miles away. Considering the park takes up 2200 acres of land, I would have loved to have traveled back and forth in a climate controlled motorized cart. Did they want me to pass out from heat exhaustion while traversing the vast theme park? Luckily Coca-Cola was a sponsor of the event and they had a huge Igloo shaped tent set up where people could go in, cool off in the frosty air, drink some free Coca-Cola, and listen to some music before heading back out into the heat.

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MERCY MERCEDES

By the time I parked and walked 2 miles to the entrance, the first band I caught was Mercy Mercedes. They were playing a song with a summer vibe that rhymed FM station with good vibration so I knew what I was in for. Songs like “Shiver Me Timbers” incorporated great vocal melodies that had the whole crowd singing and clapping along. After their set I saw a security guard sneaking the band onto Nitro to beat the lines. I then referenced the list in my pocket notebook. Number #972 of why it would kick ass to be in a band: “because you can get on any ride whenever the hell you want regardless of your popularity.”

CADY GROVES
The minute Cady Groves stepped on stage, a good portion of the crowd began to flock to rides, and for food. Grove’s loyal tween fanbase remained attentive. Like an Avril without the annoying angst, Groves’ set only ran about 25 minutes. It’s a good thing too because many of her tracks weren’t very exciting and even had a bit of twang, which sounded out of place crammed in between Mercy Mercedes and Great Big Planes. On tracks like “The Life of a Pirate,” Groves proved she’s just a mellow non-threatening role model for your young daughter, which isn’t a bad thing when you consider that Miley Cyrus is already parading around pantsless and making out with anyone’s mouth that’s available. Groves definitely needs to fine tune her stage presence as one of the only unintentionally amusing things she said in her set was “You guys are awesome at clapping.”

six flags,great adventure,new jersey,vita chambers
VITA CHAMBERS

Vita Chambers was more my speed. With her effervescent voice and upbeat vibe it seems Vita is a disciple of Gwen Stefani. Her whole band was lively and eager to rock the crowd. During their set, songs such as “The Get Go” and “Get Out My Head” easily stuck in my head. I won’t lie, I downloaded their EP on iTunes when I got home. There’s actually a huge difference between the live version and studio recordings. After seeing their balls out performance, it’s obvious that the band and Chambers herself are more in their element when in front of an audience with their music blasting loud. Their EP doesn’t do them justice because it sounds like the producers were trying to angle her as the next Pink rather than the next Gwen Stefani or Hayley Williams. In a curious tone Vita asked the crowd “Can New Jersey Dance?” during their cover of Lady Gaga‘s “Telephone.” The exuberant band ended their set on a high note with their best track, “Like Boom.” Watch out parents – she’ll be opening up for Justin Bieber at The Prudential Center in Newark on 8/28/10.

stereo skyline,new jersey,six flags,bamboozle,great adventure
STEREO SKYLINE

For a group out of Long Island, NY, Stereo Skyline looks more like beach bums from Southern California. They are like a Nelson or Trixter for a new generation of kids. Their set was filled with pop rock saturated with Hanson-esque melodies, all of which will be featured on their first full length album that will be released this month. Although many of their tracks come off as something you’d hear on Kidz Bop, “Downtown” on the other hand stood out. Lead singer Kevin Bard yelled “I love New Jersey” and the girls went nuts. Bard was wearing a vintage Coke shirt. Their first album isn’t even out yet and he already knows all about product placement! Record Company darlings.

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FOREVER THE SICKEST KIDS

They hail from Texas and they’ve been around for a few years, but this was the first I was hearing of Forever The Sickest Kids. I didn’t expect much for a band with such a long and intricate name. Haven’t they heard of the KISS principle? It was apparent why they were one of the headlining acts once I observed their knack for charging up the crowd. According to lead singer Jonathan Cook’s mic stand, the abbreviation of the bands name is FTSK and they are sort of like a more power pop oriented Blink 182. I enjoyed their fast paced, hook filled, microphone launching extravaganza. The track that proved most engaging to the audience was “Whoa Oh! (Me vs. Everyone)” which had the audience fist pumping like pros when it dawned on Cook, “I didn’t realize when we were fist pumping that we were in New Jersey!”

Then a dance beat introduced, “Hey Brittany,” but it luckily turned into a full on rock song complete with keyboards and a sweet chorus of “So where do we go?” Cook also gauged the crowd as to whether they wanted to see Justin Bieber or N Sync, and the resounding ear drum shattering response for Bieber made it obvious that artists don’t stick around for long in young people’s eyes. I’d hate to know what they think about New Kids on the Block, and shit, they most definitely don’t even know who Debbie Gibson is. The crowd went completely apeshit when Cook asked if they were ready for LMFAO. Those guys are responsible for the Jersey Shore theme song. Even though they were the headlining act, I didn’t stick around for their set. FTSK is finishing up a new album “The Weekend: Saturday” which is slated for a September release.

six flags,simple plan,bamboozle,new jersey
SIMPLE PLAN

For a band that I projected would be a flash in the pan, Simple Plan has enjoyed a fairly long successful career compared to other bands that emerged during the same time they did. They give it their all on stage and many of their songs seem to have aged pretty well. I was never a huge fan of theirs but over the years songs like “Addicted” and “I’d Do Anything” have have grown on me. Frontman Pierre Bouvier announced their new album will be released soon and they even played one of their new tracks for us called “You Suck at Love,” which is an upbeat pop-punk track in line with their other songs. “I Love New Jersey!” yelled Pierre. This whole concert was an unprecedented Jersey love fest. These guys are state misogynists, they must tell every state and city that they love them. They are from Canada so I don’t really know how much they truly love any of us down here in Jersey!

new jersey,six flags,good charlotte,bamboozle
GOOD CHARLOTTE

Good Charlotte was the last band that I stayed for since I felt like I was seconds away from passing out. Since they first hit the scene Good Charlotte’s music has matured and became less about pop punk and more about exploring other styles and reinventing themselves. None of that mattered since the crowd was hyper familiar with their songs and sang along with every track. Good Charlotte played all their big hits from “Girls and Boys” to “The Young and The Hopeless” and even throwing in “Like It’s Her Birthday,” a new track off their upcoming album, Cardiology, which the band says is a return to their pop-punk roots. And I thought I was hot? Joel and Benji Madden were in their typical attire: black jeans, shirts, vests, and hats. They might as well have been playing at a ski resort.

By the time I left the rain held out and the threat of a storm diminished, but the heat was still present. Other bands that I did not stay for were LMFAO, Third Eye Blind, and Boys Like Girls among others. The overstimulation of a concert festival like The Bamboozle Roadshow was perfect for the A.D.D generation. It was not designed for older folks who complain about having to sit through ONE opening band. If you are like that you might have hurled yourself off of El Toro just to put yourself out of your misery.

The Bamboozle at the Meadowlands usually attracts a wider crowed because of their big name bands such as No Doubt, Weezer, and Paramore, but the Roadshow was more accessible and geared toward a younger crowd. I imagine many of the kids who attended the daytine portion of the conert had to beg their parents to take the day off of school because some schools were still in session. Hopefully next time Bamboozle Roadshow pulls into Six Flags it will be on a weekend. Regardless of taking place on a Thursday, tons of people invaded the park and witnessed a slew of amped up bands performing quick, energetic sets. Then those same people blasted off on roller coasters, gulped down gigantic Great Adventure souvenir cups full of sugary soda, and goofed off, exactly what a summer day is all about.

*All photos taken by The Sexy Armpit.com

Ticket Giveaway: BAMBOOZLE ROADSHOW 2010!!!

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This Thursday, The Bamboozle Roadshow will stop at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, NJ! There’s an awesome lineup on two stages where you’ll see performances by Third Eye Blind, Good Charlotte, Boys Like Girls, Simple Plan, LMFAO, Forever the Sickest Kids, All Time Low and MORE!!!
The Sexy Armpit has a pair of tickets to give away, so if you want to be at the show and you don’t have tickets yet, then e-mail sexyarmpit@comcast.net and one winner will be chosen using a random line picker. Deadline to enter is Tuesday at 8:00 AM. Write TICKETS in the subject.
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*ALL concert goers have a shot to win Meet and Greet Passes at the Coca-Cola “Swelter Stopper” Tent. Forecasts are saying it’s going to be a hot one so head over to the Coca-Cola tent to get refreshed. Inside there are frosty air blasts, and snow falling! There’s also a sample bar, a DJ, games, and a photo booth.
For more information on the festival go to: www.thebamboozleroadshow.com
This prize was provided by The Coca-Cola Company. The Coca Cola Company is not a sponsor, administrator, or connected in any other way with this giveaway.

NJ T-Shirt Tuesday 39: Six Flags Great Adventure

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This old school Six Flags Great Adventure shirt 

Have you ever actually bought an old, used, smelly, stained t-shirt on eBay? Personally, I can’t say that I have, but there must be enough people out there who do because there sure are a ton of eBay stores that specialize in what they call “vintage” t-shirts. In this case, vintage is a word that makes old and worn out sound somewhat desirable. These t-shirts aren’t the trendy, distressed, logo tees that you see at Target labeled Large but only seem to fit boys in 3rd grade, rather they are from whatever year YOU were in the 3rd grade. In many households the next step for these tees is either the trash, or the nearest good will clothing bin. The Sexy Armpit would probably throw the better quality ones in the good will bin, while the shittiest one would be used to dust off old electronics. We are in America after all, a country where so many people out there think, “why can’t we make a buck off of these ancient rags rather than donate them to people who are less fortunate.” What complete douchebags.

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The male model for Smith and Pooter Vintage, is apparently 6 feet tall and weighs 150 lbs. I’ll refrain from making assumptions about this guy’s character, but I will say that he has stupid hair. He definitely needs to start throwing back more White Castles or something because he looks emaciated. Of course, this shirt was originally a men’s large and now fits like a girls small, so this scrawny guy was a perfect choice to model this piece of shit shirt. Whoever you are, why do you buy this crap?
jackson,nj great adventure
Armpit stains (even the best detergent can’t eradicate evil Armpit stains!), holes, more stains
Just remember folks, as bad as this economy has been, YOU DO NOT have to lower yourself to buy used t-shirts, nor do you ever have to accept a job creeping everyone out while modeling stinky old t-shirts on eBay. You should however, still have fun, and more flags=more fun, SIX FLAGS! Oh man, they should be paying me for that.