US Stars on Ice tour (Feb. 18-April 9, 2011): articles, reports, photos, etc.

[euterpe]

I went last night too. I enjoyed the show very much, but was a bit disappointed with the jump repertoire of skaters who are still technically eligible. Sasha's first number was jumpless, and her second included only a 2S and a 3T. Joannie did two 2As in her first number and a 3T and 2S in her second. Evan, with a 3Z and 3F, had the most technical difficulty.

Sale and Pelletier did some amazing tricks, but David did all their numbers with a frozen, blank face. The only time I saw him smile was during the group numbers when he interacted with skaters other than Jamie. My friend commented "there is NO chemistry there". I would have preferred to see Ina and Zimmermann, who are appearing with SOI next week.

Kurt Browning was, as always, superb, no matter whether he was clowning it up or skating seriously.

Sasha has a cute new haircut, short and curly. It really suits her. She was very entertaining in both her numbers, and I really enjoyed her performances. OTOH, Katya Gordeeva and Joannie Rochette were lovely, but IMO they didn't quite match Sasha's projection and audience connection (and I've never been a big Sasha fan).

Belbin and Agosto were a standout. They were engaging not only in their own numbers, but also as part of the ensemble.

I also enjoyed Michael Weiss and Todd Eldredge, especially Todd, who seems to have developed a true knack for comedy.

Evan skated very well, but I hated his closing number --- the destestable "Roxanne". Also, even when skating in the group numbers, he seemed less engaged with the group than any of the other cast members.

All in all, an enjoyable evening.

[RD]

Sasha has a cute new haircut, short and curly. It really suits her. She was very entertaining in both her numbers, and I really enjoyed her performances. OTOH, Katya Gordeeva and Joannie Rochette were lovely, but IMO they didn't quite match Sasha's projection and audience connection (and I've never been a big Sasha fan).

??!!!! You think so?? Wow...

[euterpe]

??!!!! You think so?? Wow...

Joannie was graceful and skated very well, but she doesn't have the experience yet to fully project to the audience. Katya is lovely, but at times she seems to be concentrating on executing the harder moves more than on anything else.

Sasha was fully engaged in her performance, and she brought the audience into it by smiling, winking and otherwise playing directly to the crowd. That was true not only during her solos, but also in all the group numbers.

[RD]

Joannie was graceful and skated very well, but she doesn't have the experience yet to fully project to the audience. Katya is lovely, but at times she seems to be concentrating on executing the harder moves more than on anything else.

Sasha was fully engaged in her performance, and she brought the audience into it by smiling, winking and otherwise playing directly to the crowd. That was true not only during her solos, but also in all the group numbers.

Interesting. I agree with you to an extent about Rochette. I really liked Gordeeva though. Definitely not one of the "outgoing" skaters but she skated like a pro, I thought.

Especially curious that you said that about Cohen. Perhaps she was really feeling it that day, or perhaps we just had different experiences with the same performer- I always thought audience connection was one of Cohen's weaknesses. Doesn't translate to not being a crowd-pleaser, of course, but IMHO there's a fine difference between impressing the audience and having the audience in the palm of your hand. I do agree about the group numbers though- and I think I mentioned it during my review as well. She does engage herself very well in the group and cast numbers.

[mmscfdcsu]

I put off the decision to attend until just about the last minute. As you know from my whiney posts in the past, I had had really bad experiences two years in a row where the music was so bad that I left in physical pain. But, I love skating and I heard that the music had improved a bit in the last couple of years or so. So...I ended up buying a great aisle seat from a scalper...for $20.00. And...I had a good time. The 500 count bottle of aspirin that I purchased on my way to the show, just in case because I was running low on aspirin, is still unopened.

Scott was there announcing some and interacting lots with Kurt. Scott also confirmed that the musical guest for his Cleveland Clinic fundraiser on November 5th will be Sheryl Crow. He also got Kurt to commit to the date.

I found the show enjoyable overall. I don't enjoy the tv screen stuff and could certainly stand to lose that. Though the music was not my favorite, at least there was much variety. And, even the elevator music at least had some actual music involved which led to much improved choreography. Lots more actual skating this year. Edges, footwork, and even a few moments of beauty. There were still a couple of numbers that just involved skaters performing tricks to noise, rather than skating, but those numbers were in the minority.

I enjoyed the On Golden Pond group number. Not anything fancy. Just really created a beautiful, brief moment on the ice. I also enjoyed Even's last number, whatever the heck that was. Sasha did fine other than a ball on the salchow.

[JeffClair1979]

Did anyone happen to catch the Rochester show last night? I wanted to go SOOO badly but couldn't get out of my play rehearsal...

[ribbon]

I went to Rochester! I haven't been in a few years (mostly b/c they've skipped Rochester lately) so it was nice to see live skating again. First time seeing Joannie - what a beautiful skater. She's very relaxing to watch. Katia and Sasha are among my favorites, so of course, I really enjoyed them too. Katia always impresses me with the most basic skating moves - she floats, is fast as can be, and if I could just do crossovers like her I'd be satisfied for life.

The last time I saw Evan he was quite a bit younger, so it was cool to see how much more he engages with the audience now - obviously, I could get a hint of this from TV, but live really brings it out. He got the biggest applause, especially from the tweens.

Kurt had the live singer which was special. Am I the only one who doesn't fully appreciate his talking number? I didn't find it terribly funny or original - give me another "Nyah" Kurt and I'll be your biggest fangirl.

Belbin and Agosto were fabulous, and Ina and Zimmerman's tricks are unbelievable. Michael and Todd did well too, so no complaints re: the skating.

I did think the videos could be excessive, and slow down the show. I realize it gives the skaters time to change, and gives an overview of the history of the tour, but I found it dull.

Arena wise: the middle sections were full, but there were a lot of empty seats which makes me worry they will skip Rochester again. It's a shame since it's a treat to see live skating and the ones who went were very happy and supportive of all the skaters.

[sas]

Did they do their funny gags with eachother for the last show or in Portland ME?

[skamper23]

Patiently waiting for reports from Bridgeport

[Chele615]

There weren't that many pranks....at least not to the extent that they've had them in the past. During Kurt's first number (the voiceover one), the hat that he is thrown had a fake flower on it. During the Act 1 opener, all the girls came running out after the knock when Ben, John, and Michael come out. The boys were throwing ice balls at each other throughout and one of them beaned Jo at one point. She was wiping the wet off for part of the number. During Tanith and Ben's intro to Sasha's Mein Herr number, Ben went off (in his German accent) about how anyone that knew him from when he was little knew that he had a flair for the theatric....all while still in character. The speeches at the end seemed kind of short considering it is the 25th anniversary and the alumnus at this show was Leann Miller, which was kind of funny because her partner was the alumnus the night before in Portland.

Also, not a prank...but in Portland, Sasha somehow managed to slice the balloon away from the string during the clown transition. Thankfully, Todd caught it before it floated away and they were all looking at each other like "What do we do now?" They didn't miss a beat though and Sasha did her part just holding it against her chest while skating until Kurt popped it.

Back to Bridgeport......This one wasn't really a prank...but it was really nice! After the clown transition into Katia's second number, Todd and Kurt pushed the box over to the tunnel, but sat on it right at the entrance to the tunnel watching Katia skate her program.

[vivika1982]

I finally got Katia's second SOI number up, and the act 2 opener, with her dropping something?!?!? check it out!


Katia's Whitney Houston number: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCVYpufwnHY

Thank you

Few more videos from the tour
Group performance-"On Golden Pond"- April 1, 2011
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ykxMo116yfA
Todd Eldredge - "That's Life"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pw-tcyPeSCc
Evan Lysacek - El Tango de Roxane/in Portland/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKTSFHIAAb4

March 20/2011- in Orlando
Opening 1-"On Golden Pond"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndGdMhaoN68
Opening 2-"I like it"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CfS-9M5CEnE
Evan Lysacek “The Climb”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nysOyZTr3-U
Kurt Browning-"Downstream" by Supertramp
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rf9lsxLkRTM
Sasha Cohen-”Mein Her”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nKXyc0FiGKc
Jamie Salé and David Pelletier “ Scream “
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qHnApLbW4E
Finale -”Simply the Best”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c95R-H27Gdc

[paskatefan]

Thanks for the news about Bridgeport and the video links!

[JeffClair1979]

I went to Rochester! I haven't been in a few years (mostly b/c they've skipped Rochester lately) so it was nice to see live skating again. First time seeing Joannie - what a beautiful skater. She's very relaxing to watch. Katia and Sasha are among my favorites, so of course, I really enjoyed them too. Katia always impresses me with the most basic skating moves - she floats, is fast as can be, and if I could just do crossovers like her I'd be satisfied for life.

The last time I saw Evan he was quite a bit younger, so it was cool to see how much more he engages with the audience now - obviously, I could get a hint of this from TV, but live really brings it out. He got the biggest applause, especially from the tweens.

Kurt had the live singer which was special. Am I the only one who doesn't fully appreciate his talking number? I didn't find it terribly funny or original - give me another "Nyah" Kurt and I'll be your biggest fangirl.

Belbin and Agosto were fabulous, and Ina and Zimmerman's tricks are unbelievable. Michael and Todd did well too, so no complaints re: the skating.

I did think the videos could be excessive, and slow down the show. I realize it gives the skaters time to change, and gives an overview of the history of the tour, but I found it dull.

Arena wise: the middle sections were full, but there were a lot of empty seats which makes me worry they will skip Rochester again. It's a shame since it's a treat to see live skating and the ones who went were very happy and supportive of all the skaters.

Thanks for the review! Now I'm REALLY sad I couldn't go!

[FSWer]

Gee,I wish I could have gone. I am still really pissed that they denyed Hartford,CT. I wonder if there is an e-mail I can write to to complain, unomously (sorry,I know that's spelled wong) of course.