Hamilton, Colleagues Glisten In Stars On Ice
Discover Card Stars on Ice Sunday, Jan. 4, Spokane Arena
Sometimes ice tours that are 5 or 10 years old become stale as the skaters turn in performances that are more routine than inspired and the costumes, music and schtick seem tired.
One of the phenomenal aspects of Scott Hamilton’s Discover Card Stars on Ice Tour is that, in its 11th year, it’s not only avoided the been-there/seen-that feel, it’s actually better than ever.
And that says a lot about Hamilton, who battled cancer last year and returned to the ice with a revitalized form and energy.
Hamilton and an impressive array of skaters entertained more than 8,000 screaming and whistling fans for more than 2-1/2 hours at the Arena Sunday night.
Busloads of people came from Montana and North Idaho to see the former world champions and Olympic medalists, and judging from the buzz in the Arena hallway following the show, no one left disappointed.
And how could they?
The skaters, from Kristi Yamaguchi to Paul Wylie to Kurt Browning, all danced and flirted their way into the hearts of the audience and along the way landed a passel of triple jumps.
None of the skaters, however, was more loved by this audience than Hamilton.
When he skated to center ice following the opening number, the 8,000-plus fans rose to their feet. And this was before he did even one of his famed backflips on skates.
Sophisticated and fast-moving routines involving all the skaters flowed seamlessly into solos and pairs skating. Everyone got to see his or her favorite showcased at least twice during the evening.
But lest anyone think ice shows are about skaters floating across the ice to the notes of classical music, this isn’t your grandma’s ice show. We’re talking Kurt Browning skating to Led Zeppelin, Kristi Yamaguchi jumping on the high notes of Louis Armstrong, and Ekaterina Gordeeva grinding to Elvis Presley.
In the second half of the program, Browning was landing triple jumps to “Antares” by The Tragically Hip and Rosalynn Sumners skated an impressive program to Sheryl Crow’s “Sweet Rosalyn.”
The evening opened and closed to Led Zeppelin music. In between, there were only a few moments of soft reminiscing when Hamilton skated to “With One More Look at You.”
The audience fell silent, and some tears slid down cheeks. He is, indeed, the quintessential entertainer and an inspiring man.
It’s difficult to imagine that he could put together a show better than this one.
, DataTimes