I would have written this review earlier, but I needed to recover from the four and a half hour drive each way to see this show. But, I'd decided months ago that this was the year I was going to see Todd live (something I'd never done). Spurred on by the fact that I haven't seen live skating for seven years, I figured I was due a little insanity.

I didn't take any notes, so this won't be very detailed element- wise. I'll just hit the highlights, lowlights, and Toddlights. :-)

Lucinda started us with nifty spinning that was appreciated by the audience. The "Black Betty" part of the opening was good and I wish Todd could have been in it (yeah, the red leather pants helped). But "Lady Marmalade" just didn't come together. They should have stopped while they were ahead. Then we were subjected to the first round of talking (Katerina) and the first tango. I confess that I watched Krylova and Ovsiannikov during the whole thing. In a weird moment, Angelika tripped and fell right at the end.

Then Kurt came out and introduced Todd, to loud applause. The lights were up enough that you could see him practicing toe loops. I was already in love with "Lord of the Rings" before I saw it live, so this only added to my enjoyment. Jumps were 3 loop, 2 axel, 2 lutz, 3 axel, 3 toe loop. He got a lound round of applause at the end, but no standing ovation. However, this audience didn't stand until the very end.

Kurt then did "Guitar". He has great audience connection and this is a really cool program. More loud applause.

Tara did "Color of Roses" with only one doubled jump. This is a lovely program and one of the first of hers that I've really liked. My only complaint was the inclusion of the rose prop part way through, because it seemed pretty useless.

I actually enjoyed the "Vanity Tango", which surprised me as I wasn't impressed by it on TV. However, they way they cut up the song (which I love) bugged me.

Ilia did "Redezvous" and "Pick up the Pieces" in the first half. I'm putting them together because they're struck me as looking a lot alike, though I liked them both. I was really impressed with how well he connects with the audience. He really had them eating out of his hand.

Krylova & Ovsiannikov's "Last of the Mohicans" was another surprise, another program I liked more live than on TV. They're an impressive pair and I hope they get to come back.

Steven appeared in the audience for his Tom Jones number. The audience loved him, but this program is a great example of why I hate medleys. They are rarely cohesive. If he'd done just one of the songs, I would have enjoyed it much more.

Kristi's "Gold" didn't impress me quite as much. It was pretty, but not remarkable.

Meno & Sand had their chair tango. During it I thought,"Mr. Dean, put your hands in the air and step away from the furniture. No one needs to be hurt." The skating with furniture needs to stop.

G-O-L-D was B-A-D.

The audience thought the can-can was histerical. The funniest part for me was noticing that some of the guys wore white socks, the tops of which were visible through the fishnets. I was glad Todd wasn't part of this.

The second half started with Lucinda again. She was a pleasant surprise for me, because I'd never thought much of her before. She's lovely to watch and her spins are unreal. I don't think you really get a sense of this on TV (ditto for Todd).

Tara and Kurt came out and talked. It was forgettable.

"The First Time" was a better number for Meno & Sand. I know they always do numbers like this, but they do it so well.

I think I may be one of the few people who likes Kristi's "Trust A Try" number better than "Gold". It may simply be that it's different, but she seemed to be really into it.

The flashlight thing wasn't good either. It was probably one of those ideas that looked better on paper.

"Rubberband Man" had some nifty tricks in it, but I found myself wishing Ilia would get a choreographer. And spin better.

Katarina was intense and I really liked this program of hers. At least it wasn't one of her sex-kitten numbers (that I hate). I'd forgotten what a great performer she is.

Todd got another round of applause before even skating, since the light came up enough to see him. Add "Your Song" to the list of programs that I thought were much better live. I really liked the choreography and I actually sighed when he did his spiral at the end. The jumps were 2 loop, big 2 axel, and 3 toe. And TV doesn't do Todd justice. The power, the ease, the spinning. I'm actually more impressed with him now, something I didn't think was possible.

Now, I've seen Denis Petrov, but years ago with his old partner and I thought they were boring. This time I noticed what a great partner he is. And bravo to Kristi for keeping up her skills. This performance was my non-Todd highlight.

Liked "Elevation" better than "Guitar" for Kurt. I noticed he seemed to be landing lots of 2 axels and 3 toes, so I figured he was feeling good that night.

Tara's USA number has some neat moments, but was another medley victim. Just pick one song, please.

This finale was much more to my liking then some of their more recent ones. I like these long, medley finales, mostly because it gives the skaters more to do. Kurt's "Solitaire" was worth having the whole thing. Todd came out at the end, did 2 axel and a couple of 3 toes, then blended into the groups stuff. He fit in with the rest perfectly, like he'd been doing it all year.

Adding to the fun of just being there, was that I moved seats during intermission. I end up in the front row at the end with the skater's entrance (as it was largely empty), so I had several skater sightings. Tara watched a couple of programs early in the second half. Steven came out and sat in the end of my row and watched a fair amount of the second half, as did Lucinda. Todd came out and watched the finale until "Solitaire".

Overall, the show was better than I thought, but was probably the most uneven show they've done quality-wise. Also, they had the bass turned up way too high. I'm curious to see what the direction is next year, particularly since I think the focus is shifting from the ladies to the men.

Helen