Stars on Ice at Key Arena with the Family

I planned to spend my entertainment dollars for May on tickets to NW Terrorfest. But my daughter’s heroes were on tour, so instead, the whole family got to go to Stars on Ice. The things we do for our kids. I’ve never really been a figure skating fan, but ever since we watched the anime Yuri!!! On Ice (it is a really great show), my daughter has been obsessed. This year I watched the Olympics with her, and for the first time since the 80’s, that meant figure skating instead of half pipe. In spite of myself, I got kind of into it. Not enough that I would have bought tickets for myself, but I admit, I was a little excited to see Adam Rippon, Mirai Nagasu, Nathan Chen and the Shibutanis skate in person.

Club Benefits

We bought our tickets through the rink where my daughter skates, Highland Ice Arena. That way we got a small discount and a few perks. Not least of these was being seated in a block with other ice skaters, which meant that we got to watch the performance in peace while people in other sections were constantly up and down, stocking up on snacks and taking bathroom breaks midperformance.

But the benefits started much earlier. Club ticket-holders were granted early access to Key Arena to watch the performers warm up from seats closer to the ice than the ones purchased for the actual show. There was nearly an hour of sitting around inside before the skaters finally took the ice. But for my daughter, watching her heroes practice was priceless. Not only did she get to observe technique, but performers took breaks to greet the clubs. Her little heart exploded with she got to take a photo with Mirai Nagasu. I was pretty stoked, too. After all, if she’s going to look to figure skating for role models, you could do worse than Nagasu, an outspoken Asian-American woman, queer ally, and the first U.S. woman to land a triple axel in the Olympics.

After the warmup, we all crowded into one section for an audience Q+A with ice dancers Madison Hubbell & Zach Donohue. We weren’t familiar with them, and most of the questions, coming as they did from little kids, weren’t terribly interesting. But getting a little glimpse of their personalities before the show did heighten my attention to and appreciation for their performances later that evening.

A Good Start

During the warm-up, they tested the sound, playing snatches of songs from the show as well as what sounded like random background music. One of the songs they played was a-ha’s “Take On Me.” My daughter and I got into a discussion about how that would be the best song ever for a skate and why hadn’t anyone done it? How satisfying then when the opening number turned out to be Vincent Zhou (we didn’t know he was on the bill) skating to “Take On Me.” We were right. It was the perfect skate song.

{I will never miss a chance to embed this video.}

Stars on Ice

My daughter got a copy of Karen Chen’s memoir Finding the Edge for Christmas. It was super exciting for her to see Chen skate after reading the book. She googled Jason Brown on the way to the car – we only really knew the 2018 Olympic skaters – but he won her fandom with “Can’t Stop the Feeling” and Hamilton’s “The Room Where It Happens” at Stars. We all marveled at the height of Nathan Chen’s jumps, the grace of Rippon’s landings, and other things.

Me: Nathan Chen really is cute, huh?

Daughter: OMG, Mom you just noticed?! What’s wrong with you?

Me: I’m old enough to be his mother.

Daughter: I think even boys would think Adam Rippon is hot.

Me: Pretty sure that’s the idea.

Things just got better when two of the performances were set to songs from The Greatest Showman. My youngest daughter is obsessed with that movie. Her class learned all the songs from their music teacher (a musical theater pro). Zendaya is her favorite singer. I think she forgot to blink during Bradie Tennell’s “This Is Me.” (Her 9-year-old morality was shocked by Nagasu’s sexy “Body Language” but she must have gotten worldly by the time Adam Rippon’s “Let Me Think About It” channeled Chazz Michael Michaels because we heard no complaints).

We got to see several Olympic performances reprised, but I most enjoyed the skates that couldn’t happen in competition. Without having to conform to scoring requirements, the choreography could be freer. It was easier to focus on the blend of athleticism and grace that skating shares with ballet. There were girls numbers and boys numbers, trios of couples and even a trio performance. Fortunately, someone ignored the “no video” rule for me.

Audience Energy

One thing the video doesn’t capture is the audience reaction. They said Seattle gave one of the best responses, and I figured it was part of the script. But if the background noise on that video is any indication, Seattle’s audience was special. And that’s really the way you want to see a show like this. It’s impossible to be a cynic when thousands of people around you are losing their collective shit.

I never saw the Beatles live, but I remember a night when the mosh pit filled half the floor of the Tacoma Dome and Aerosmith stopped playing long enough for Steven Tyler to say, “Man, it’s like a feeding frenzy out there!” I remember getting chills from the crowd’s thunderous reaction to the initial notes of AC/DC’s “Thunderstruck” as artificial lightning lit the stage. But I have never seen a crowd as jacked as the figure skating fans at Key Arena last week. Every single jump, spin, and expressive gesture was met with waves of near hysterical shrieking.

There is no otaku like an ice otaku. And Seattle has a lot of them.

Next week, when I’m sitting at home and Uada takes the stage at Terrorfest, I’m going to be sad that I spent my money on figure skating. But at the time, I really enjoyed myself. And it’s much better than skaters in creepy fish costumes.

Stars on Ice Tour

They do this tour every year, and I’m sure it’s always fun. This year is a bit different because of the Olympic focus. Not every skater performs at every venue (Vincent Zhou is only on 6 stops), so if you want to someone particular, you have to do some research. Find out more about the show and whether it’s coming to your town here.