I had the opportunity to see SOI the past two days, and let me just say WOW!!!! Traveling to Philly was much easier than Trenton since we had to fight the horrendous road conditions going to Trenton, it took us 3 hours to get there, where in the past, it has taken us a little over an hour. If we had known how bad the roads were going to be Thursday night, there's no way we would've made the trip.... we saw a few cars slide into guardrails and spin out, plus other accidents along the way... it was very scary.

That being said, I am glad we did get to see both shows. The show is fabulous!!!!!!

Thursday night, just as we got into the arena... we could hear the beginning of the opening number to Pure Imagination, so we didn't catch the whole thing, but what we did see was awesome. We did get to see the entire opening number in Philly.... there is so much going on, it's hard to take everything in... my eyes tended to follow Todd most of the time ;) My sister went with us to the Philly show, and at intermission said "Hey, Todd's like Willy Wonka" ... LOL. I really like the way SOI is using Todd this season... they really have him in a sort of featured role... it's a Todd fan's dream :)

I'm just going to talk about the skaters in no particular order... I didn't buy a program, so I'm not sure of who skated when, etc.

Jamie & David... let me tell you, Jamie Sale was born to be in Stars on Ice. She is such a great performer... always smiling, and always seems to be enjoying herself. I really enjoyed both of their numbers. Who Wants to Live Forever was so awesome... I had seen it on TV, last season I think, and really enjoyed it then, but to see it live.. oh man!!!!! Radar Love was great too... lots of great tricks!!!

Elena & Anton... Elena seems to have come out of her shell more this year... she seems much more comfortable with the audience this year then I have seen her in the past. The Michael Bolton number was just breathtaking... that kind of music really suits their skating beautifully. The dance mix was a big hit... Elena sat on the lap of someone 2 seats away from us in Trenton, so we had a great view of her... she was all smiles!!! Anton is such a ham... he really gets into these kind of programs. Elena's wearing a wrap on her knee, but it definitely doesn't hurt them at all in their programs.... their throw jump (couldn't see the entrance, so not sure what it was) in the Dance Mix program in Philly was HUGE... not only height wise, but as far as ice coverage.... totally awesome!!!!!!!

Kyoko & John... boy can that man fill out a pair of leather pants. I enjoyed their program... Kyoko is another one who I think has started to become more comfortable playing off the audience, and looks a lot more comfortable out there. That fly high and say bye trick (I think that's what it's called) is impressive..... Kyoko sure has a lot of trust in John that she'll catch her. They had the crowd oohing and aahing a couple times. Their program has so much energy to it, it really gets the crowd going.

Steven Cousins.... another hottie!!! I am so glad to have him back on tour this year. He seems to have made a new fan... my mom was quite impressed with him. He is another great performer. Always looks so comfortable out there, he has such charisma... it just oozes out of him. I enjoyed his program, and also the Step Sisters one... loved his reaction when the girls stripped down to their little black dresses.

Ekaterina Gordeeva... I just love her. Her programs were both very good... enjoyed the first one slightly more than the second, but both of them were great. When she first started skating singles after Sergei died, it was kind of awkward, I guess is the word I'm looking for, to see her on her own out there, but now she seems much more confident and comfortable being on her own. Great to see her again!! Katia got a great reaction from the crowd when she was introduced.

Michael Weiss.... Michael was our guest star. Let me just say, that other than Todd, the skater I probably enjoyed the most was Michael. He really was very good. He was very relaxed, his speed was great, his jumps were all on... he is a different skater in shows like this than he is in competition. He looked like a completely different skater than the one we saw at Nationals. The three times I've seen him in shows this year (Bocelli and SOI) I have been very impressed. I wasn't totally thrilled with his first program (his LP from this season) but it wasn't as bad as it came across on TV in competitions this year, though, I will say, I still hate the tattoo shirt. After his second program, can't remember the music... it was a medley of some sort... I found myself saying "wow" he was really that good. I would say he got one of, if not the best ovations of the night. I really think this type of show skating is great for him. I was never too fond of his programs he did for COI, but the last two nights, he certainly made me take notice.

Alexei Yagudin... One thing I will say about Alexei, is that I really haven't been all that impressed with his professional programs. His first program with the piece of material was good, the crowd oohed and aahed with his various movements with it, however I didn't think the skating that he did afterwards was all that. Don't get me wrong, I like Alexei... I just feel like he's such a talented skater, and could be doing so much more. Gotta give him credit for having the guts to do that arial work... you couldn't pay me enough to do that. I don't know why, but for some reason, I was more nervous watching Alexei's acrobatic program in Philly than I was in Trenton. I was very relieved when his skates finally touched down to the ice for good. You can tell he's concentrating, and being extremely careful, but still, it's very nerve wracking (for me anyway).

Sarah Hughes... Sarah's basic skating is lovely, and her layback is still awesome.... I just love her layback... still one of the best in the business. She seemed very happy to be on the ice, smiling a lot, etc. But I think that being with the skaters who are doing the triples and programs packed with tricks does make her seem less impressive. Don't get me wrong, I like Sarah, and she skated great both nights, but I think she seems out of place when compared with the other skaters. Sounded to me like Sarah had some family and friends there tonight... actually I'm pretty sure her mom was sitting just a few seats away from us in Trenton.

And now..........

Todd!!!! What can I say... other than the fact that I just can't get enough of him. He had a some jump issues in Trenton, but it didn't take away from the program at all. During the group numbers and the transitions, he was really having a great time. His facial expressions were priceless!!! After he "killed" the flea... you could hear him sobbing. He really has blossomed since joining SOI.... it's brought out a whole new side to him.... he's become quite the performer. The flea tenor bit is just hilarious, and Todd really plays it very well... and then to hear him sobbing after he killed it, and to see the expression on his face during the funeral for it.... priceless. One thing I thought was cute in Trenton, was during the Blue Skies number... the guys are all doing a little move with Sarah, and their umbrellas are closed up.... as Todd was waiting for the rest of the guys to do whatever they were doing with Sarah, he took his umbrella, and pretended it was a golf club and swung it.... LOL!!!!

The transitions were all great... of course, the flea was my favorite, but I also liked the one with Jamie as the fortune teller... very cute. Another favorite was the "She loves me, she loves me not" one that Todd does with Sarah.... I just love Todd's reaction at the end.... very cute!!!!

The finale to Dream On is great.. love the snow coming down... really looks awesome against the silver costumes (the girls dresses are absolutely stunning in person). The only thing is that it seems kinda short for a finale... but it's great!!!

I really enjoyed all of the group numbers... they were so much fun!! "The Ride of Life" is great... the skaters look like they are having a blast. Although, I don't know how poor Kyoko can stand to have all that water pouring on her face at the end... I hope the temperature of the water isn't too cold, but it is a very cool effect!!!!! TKO was great too... the guys are really enjoying themselves... laughing and goofing off.

Hope you guys enjoy my review. If you have the opportunity to see this show, go for it.... it is AWESOME!!!!!!

Tara