OK, here is my full review of the SOI show in Cincy last night now that I've got the time to type and the music sheet in front of me so I can remember who all skated to what! I should also mention that while the Cincinnati crowd was probably not the biggest one SOI has had this year, we were definitely the loudest! This crowd was fantastic and I could tell the skaters were feeding off our energy. Most of the crowd were first timers which was really cool!
Opening: I loved the opening they did with introducing everyone and then having a mix of songs while everyone gets a minute or two to be in the spotlight. I loved the costumes too. Simple and sparkly! I couldn't get a good picture for anything in this number though so that's a goal of mine for tomorrow's show in Columbus, LOL
Marie-France & Patrice: Wow, they were fantastic. I loved both their programs and having an ice dance team on the tour again really gives the tour a boost. They skated really well and looked like they were having a blast.
Yuka Sato: I think Yuka is the new flu victim of the tour because while she was wonderful in her first number, she looked not quite as sharp in the group numbers and she didn't even skate her second number. She's a trooper for skating while ill and I hope she feels better soon. I could watch her skate all day because of her amazing basic skating skills and her solo was just lovely. She skated her "1000 Miles Away" number last night and left out the other one.
Todd Eldredge: I loved Todd's first number and he sold it very well! He was one who was having salchow issues though as he doubled it at least twice in this program. He performed the number so well though (and was really getting into character) that it didn't even matter what jumps he did for it. I loved it and the crowd loved it too. He also didn't skate his second number though and I have no idea why because he looked fine in every other program. His second number is supposed to come after Yuka's second number in the second act, so I wonder now if her not skating threw things for a loop and they had to leave his number out too to keep the transitions from being off. I have no idea but Todd did a great job and hopefully tomorrow he skates his second number because I really want to see it!
Jennifer Robinson: I was a bit disappointed that she only had one solo but she was very involved in a lot of other aspects of the show so you really don't realize she only did one number until you look at the program. I loved her being kind of the host for the show and she is so natural with a microphone! They did the "ask a skater" segment behind where I was sitting and the young girl asked a great question..."How long does it take the skaters to learn their programs?" Jen loved the question and answered that it normally doesn't take long for solos but group numbers take longer to get everyone on the same page. Jen's program was a lot of fun too. She had the only fall of the evening on a lutz (I think) but it didn't mar the program and she was having a ball. That seems to be a theme with the skaters...they're all having a blast this year on tour!
Michael Weiss: I was surprised that I actually enjoyed both of his programs last night. He's not one of my fave skaters at all but I enjoyed both numbers a lot last night. His "Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy" program really got the crowd going and he didn't mess up any jumps that I remember so it was a great night for Mike.
Kyoko & John: They skated both programs cleanly but the FHSB move was not in either program so I think they may have stopped doing it for the time being in order to just go skate well. They still do some fun tricks and they sold the heck out of their programs! "Shine On" was fabulous and I loved their opening moves to it, especially since they were right in front of me! They seemed in very good spirits and the crowd loved both programs. I had "Pretty Vegas" in my head for hours last night, LOL
Sasha Cohen: I was also surprised by how much I enjoyed her programs last night. She skated cleanly in both of them and I could tell that she was enjoying herself. She smiled through her entire second number (aside from when she was jumping, LOL) and there was a small crowd of crazy Sasha fans across the rink who screamed for her pretty much the entire show. I think she enjoyed that because she gave them a few extra waves during her bows. Her number with the guys with all the bendy moves was crazy awesome. That was really creative and it went over well with the crowd too. The bendy moves weren't quite as impactful for me after seeing all the bendy ladies at US Nats but she still did a great job!
Xue & Hongbo: Out of all the skaters on this tour, I think it's Xue & Hongbo who are having the most fun! They were ALWAYS smiling, always looked thrilled to be on the ice, and they were into every single group number 100%. Both of their programs were well received and their throws are still enormous. I loved their Michael Buble number even though it's another one the lighting didn't allow me to get good pics of (another mission for tomorrow) and Adagio was beautiful too. They are another great addition to this tour and as much as I wouldn't mind seeing them compete in the Olympics again, I think they're having too much fun with SOI to seriously consider it (I feel the same away about M-F & P and Sasha). We got to shake hands with both of them at the end of the show and they were SO cute! Xue took the time to look at everyone and say thank you to people who complimented her while Hongbo decided he wanted to shake as many hands as possible so he was running down the on ice area slapping high fives as fast as he possibly could which was a riot! They were fantastic and I cannot wait to see them again.
Jamie & David: OK, I saw "Thankful" on the Today Show two weeks ago and got a little teary and seeing it in person did the exact same thing to me. This number is so beautiful and you can tell how much the music means to them by how much they're into it for the entire program. The looks they gave each other, the gentle way they did all their lifts and spins, and the huge smiles they had for the whole program made this a very special program for me having been a huge fan of theirs for a long time. You can't really tell when you're watching them because it's really small but David has "Jamie" and their wedding date on one part of his shirt and "Jesse" with his birthday on the other part which is really sweet. They also showed pictures on the TV screens of Jamie & Dave by themselves, at their wedding, while she was pregnant, and then with Jesse at the end which cued the 'Awws' from the crowd, LOL

Another mission of mine is to get their ending pose tomorrow because I had people clapping on either side of me and they moved my camera too much to get a clear shot! Thanks mom, LOL J&Ds other number "Love Stoned" was just pure fun and boy can those two dance! They were having a ball and I can't wait to see this one again even though I'm annoyed with Justin T. thanks to the overabundance of "Sexybacks" in the amateur ranks this year.

(Sorry to post a million comments about J&D but they were my faves of the night so I had to ramble!)
Hard Steele is Back: OMG, I don't even have words to describe the awesomeness of this program! It was pure fun, the guys were totally into it, and the fangirls were a riot at the very start and all through the program! Xue and Hongbo were the most hilarious although Jen starting off all prim and proper and then busting a move with the band later was pretty funny too! This number got the crowd really going (and remember, we were all ready loud so you can imagine the reaction after this, LOL) and I think the skaters were feeding off it the entire time. John Z was just awesome as Axel Edge and at one point, I was the lucky girl who got a high five and a "Yeah baby!" from him which was so cool. Good thing I had put my camera down at that point! Anyway, the music choices were so fun and the skaters definitely give 110% for this group number. I think it's one of the best group numbers they've had a while so good job SOI!
Finale: The finale was pretty great too but I still think the "Dream On" finale from a few years ago is my favorite. Everyone got to do a little something on their own and then they did some fun group moves together. Sasha did a Beillman spin for one part and I had to laugh because that means every skating event I've been to this year really has had a Beillman spin in it somewhere, LOL
My overall impression of the show is that one, its SOOOO much more fun than last year's show; two, the skaters are all really into it and that is feeding into the crowds; and three, there really isn't anyone who's a bathroom break for me this year which is a nice change! Usually there's at least one program that doesn't keep my interest but the entire show kept me watching until the very end. The Cincy crowd did such a nice job with keeping up the energy and everyone around me was very complimentary about the show too. I all ready mentioned the Xue & Hongbo handshakes but when they did the final bows for each skater/team, the first person was introduced by one of the skaters (I can't remember who, it was a little crazy then!), then that person introduced the next skater/team, and so on down the line until the very end which I thought was really cool. It also gave the skaters more time to shake hands with the on ice people which has been a problem in recent shows with running out of time. During the bows, they were dancing around to the music "Jump" by Van Halen and when he sang "jump", they all jumped! They did this facing both ways and we were cracking up because the second time they did it, half the group jumped at one point and the other half jumped at another point! The very last bow was great too because Jamie didn't have to do her little thing encouraging the crowd to be louder....we were all ready loud, LOL
Anyway, SOI is a GREAT show this year! If the show is coming to a city near you, I encourage you to go and see it because I think you'll have a great time. I haven't had time to get my pics online yet but I promise I will at some point this weekend.
