My family and I attended SOI in Milwaukee on Monday, February 3. The Bradley Center's lower level was about two-thirds full for the show. The crowd was appreciative though not particularly loud or enthusiastic, but all in all, not bad for a Monday night audience.

And I have to say, this was probably one of the best ice shows I have been to in a long, long time. There were absolutely NO falls. There were three or four shaky landings, but everyone stayed on their feet. All of the performers seemed into their programs. The choreography and staging were first-rate. I couldn't have been more pleased. They made it easy for me to write this review. :-)

"The Great and Powerful Oz" -- Todd opened the show with a triple axel. It wasn't the biggest or most secure triple axel I've seen him do, but it was landed cleanly. He landed a couple of other triples in the opening as well, and near the end of the program, he and Kurt Browning did some mirror skating and did simultaneous double axels going opposite from each other. Spectacular!

"Born to Be Wild" -- Alexei landed one clean triple here. The rest of the program was mostly footwork, body slides, and spins, and some posing, but I thought he did it pretty well. I agree that this is more Elvis Stojko's style of music, but Alexei seemed to be having fun with it anyway.

"Bed of Roses" -- John and Kyoko skated this very well, doing that spectacular "candle" lift and a nice "Natalia's spin." John was a little shaky on the landing of the side-by-side double axels but stayed on his feet and maintained the flow of the program.

"Come Fly With Me" -- David and Jamie breezed through this number beautifully. Lots of lifts, particularly when the singer says, "I'll get you up there." ;-)

"Channel 1 Suite" -- Todd was completely on for this number. He landed a triple axel (a beauty), plus at least two other triples (maybe a Salchow and toe loop?). A lot of smiling and winking at the crowd, particularly in our particular corner. The footwork and spins got a lot of applause. Very well done.

"Blues in the Night" -- This is basically just Katarina vamping with Gorsha and John; not a lot of substance to this number, but it was cute.

"Overcome" -- Wow. Alexei just draws you into this performance and keeps you riveted. He landed three triples with no problem, the footwork was dramatic and powerful, and the emotion was palpable. Whatever they're paying him, it's not enough. I saw no obvious sign that the hip injury was bothering him.

"I'm Your Man" -- A very sweet number for Jenni and Todd. It really seemed to bring out Todd's personality. They did a successful throw double axel and a really, really nice death spiral right over the rose prop.

"How Do You Keep the Music Playing" -- A nice surprise from Kurt, something that didn't involve mugging or fancy footwork, just honest skating with emotional depth, clean jumps, spread eagles and solid spins. Very pleasant to watch.

"Power Play" -- I had heard a lot of mixed comments about this program. I have to say it worked for me. The "naked in the spotlight" line didn't seem to get much of a reaction, at least in my part of the rink. I think it's great that Todd does the narration here; he always comes across as so quiet in interviews, but here he is poised, confident and very professional. He did some nice moves in the background while B&S and S&P showed off their lifts and spins in the middle of the rink. Near the end he was a little wobbly on a double axel and put his hand down, but he went into the jump with zero preparation and zero speed, and with a microphone in this hand, so I can't really fault him for that.

"Studz/A Little Less Conversation" -- This number starts with the girls vamping off-ice, but let's get real here, folks. This program is really about six hot dudes having fun on the ice. I don't know how much of this is rehearsed and how much of it is improvised, but we had guys lifting each other, doing pair spins, flipping over each other's backs, and generally having a good old time. Lots and lots of laughs from the audience. And the final pose is...well....

"The Rest of Your Life" -- Quiet, mature number from Katarina. She landed a nice double axel and another double, maybe a flip. She also did some very nice, extended spins that got a lot of applause.

"Miserere" -- Clean, powerful, typical Todd. Double axel, triple loop, triple toe, triple axel, and a somewhat wonky triple lutz that was crooked in the air and bent on the landing but still clean. He also did a triple-double combination. Spins were terrific as always.

"The Prayer" -- Exquisite performance by Renee and Gorsha. Gorgeously choreographed by Christopher Dean. There is one lift near the end of the program where Gorsha is in a low position and is holding Renee away from his body; I can't imagine the strength that must take. What a treat it is to see them again.

"Slippery Side Up" -- Fun number from Kurt in which he's just learning how to skate. With incredibly difficult footwork and great audience appeal. I'm not usually a big fan of his but he did win me over tonight with two very different programs.

"Love on the Rocks/Somethin' Stupid" -- Short, fluffy number with Kyoko/John, Jenni/Todd, Renee/Gorsha. Lots of weaving choreography, nice lifts, interesting costumes, but not particularly memorable.

"Mme T. After Hours" -- This looked a lot better than what I had seen earlier in the season. I'm not crazy about what Anton's done to his hair, but he does a passable Elvis, and Elena's take on Marilyn is a lot more believable than it was last fall. She put a hand down on the throw jump but everything else looked great.

"Lovin' Touchin' Squeezin" -- Powerful, sexy performance by David and Jamie. He may have stumbled out of some footwork but I only caught this out of the corner of my eye so I can't say for sure. Clean throw triple, great lifts (including that unbelievable move where she does a handstand on his arm).

"Racing" -- Alexei delivered another gallant performance with clean, powerful triples, great footwork and terrific crowd appeal.

"Can't Stop" -- A finale with a lot of power, style, and great moves. I think Todd landed two more clean triples. I am always amazed at how fast these people move around the ice and how much precision they have, and how much control during this intricate choreography. Well done. Standing ovation from the crowd at the end. Lots of smiles, hugs, and high fives all around. They all seemed to be having a great time out there.

If A&E needs two hours of clean footage for their March SOI program, they need look no further than this show. ;-)