Calling my wife an “ice skating super fan” is a bit of an understatement.
Roughly 20 years ago, she started watching Sasha Cohen and the U.S. compete for gold in the 2006 Winter Olympics and…never stopped.
In the two decades since, she’s rarely missed a Winter Olympics, Worlds, Grand Prix Final or qualifying event.
“I’ve seen the rise and fall and rise again of U.S. women’s international results,” she told me, proudly.
And, on Friday, May 1, my wife finally got to catch the team she loves so dearly live when she attended ‘Stars on Ice’at Newark’s Prudential Center as part of the squad’s ongoing tour, celebrating their 2026 victories in Milan.
For my wife — who has seen pretty much everything — it was a brand-new experience.
“It was striking how fast and powerful they are,” she noted. “Seeing the skaters attack their programs and commit to the themes up close and personal is something else.”
Over the course of the evening, she took extensive notes on the the program for fellow Blade Angels devotees that have yet to attend.
In the event you’ve never had the pleasure of attending ‘Stars on Ice,’ here are her beat-by-beat thoughts about all programs from the whirlwind evening.
Act I
‘Stars on Ice’ opened by introducing the skaters with a number set to “Brink of Annihilators/Fearless.” This was a bit of a slow start but led nicely to individual performances.
Andrew Torgashev officially kicked off the evening by skating to “Out of Time.” After he wrapped his sturdy set, NJ native Isabeau Levito took the ice to Madonna’s “Material Girl” and “showed off a fun side of her.”
“She’s usually balletic and classical during competitions,” my wife told me. “This was a definite change of pace for her.”
Christina Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko were third and delivered “a strong performance” set to “Say It Right/Maneater.”
At this point, the show took a turn and skaters “did excerpts of Olympic programs plus delightful group numbers and exhibition (show) programs. Team gold medalists showed off their medals and the audience started chanting ‘USA! USA!’”
Things settled down shortly after as fan favorites Chock and Bates took the spotlight and strutted their stuff to “Paint It Black.”
“They should have won gold in Milan,” my wife grumbled. “Amazing they’re still going after long careers and injuries.”
Her favorite of the night though had to be Jason Brown’s program accompanied by Ne-Yo’s “Friend Like Me.” “He was jazzy and danced with a cane, hat, and coat rack,” my wife smiled. “He showed off his artistry and flexibility.”
My wife was particularly impressed by Amber Glenn’s routine set to “That’s Life,” which she dubbed “a confident retort to a season filled with ups and downs” before adding “everyone loves Amber!”
“The 305 Experience” made use of Danny O’Shea’s resemblance to Pitbull and, with that, Act I came to a close with an entertaining “Too Darn Hot” group number featuring Jason and Isabeau. Intermission time.
Act II
Following a brief respite — where my wife weighed the pros and cons of buying a $75 Blade Angels hoodie — she returned to her seats to catch Ilia “The Quad God” Malinin’s “I Was Made for Lovin’ You.”
The rousing show then continued with “I Just Might,” a “fun song with the guys.”
Special guests Emilea Zingas and Vadym Kolesnik took command of the sheet next and performed an elegant piece over Hozier’s solemn yet spine-tingling “Work Song.”
“I’ve loved seeing their meteoric rise,” my wife raved. “It was so cool to see them become World Bronze Medalists.”
Glenn hit the glass once the guests exited and rocked an “amazing step sequence that had the audience clapping along” to Madonna’s “Like a Prayer.”
Next up, Kam and O’Shea (who you might know as KamO) “showed a more lyrical side” while sailing along to Lady Gaga’s “Shallow.”
As the night continued, Jason Brown “seemed to reach every part of the audience” while flawlessly glissading to “Spiegel im Spiegel.”
In terms of overall evening highlights, the peak may have been the Blade Angels‘ program with “K-Pop Demon Hunters’” mega smash “Golden” blaring above.
“This was an audience favorite,” my wife beamed. “I recorded the whole thing for our daughter.”
Torgashev returned to the ice right after and unleashed a “great attack” before Isabeau re-entered to show off her moves while “Zou Bisou Bisou” and other Sophia Loren classics blared overhead.
“That was Isabeau’s competitive short program,” my wife pointed out.
At this point, the night began building to a grand finale.
First, Chock and Bates used the whole of the rink for “a beautiful lyrical piece” complemented by “Slide.” In the evening’s penultimate solo performance, Ilia came back to “speak to his struggles” with a gritty “Lose Yourself” segment before going uptempo with “Jump Around” where he “went into rink-side seats.”
To close the night, Alysa Liu poured her heart out to the “crowd-pleasing” “Stateside.”
With that release, the group hit the ice for the real last act. Adorned in “beautiful matching costumes,” the Blade Angels unveiled their striking moves one last time to “Life in Color.”
“That exceeded all expectations,” my wife gushed.
Final verdict: If you fancy yourself an ice skating fan, you absolutely need to run not glide to ‘Stars on Ice.’ To see the Olympians in person is a wholly different experience than what you see on TV and absolutely worth the trip to your local arena.
Stars On Ice ticket prices
A complete calendar including all U.S. tour dates, venues and links to buy tickets can be found here:
Canada Stars On Ice
The U.S. isn’t the only country putting on a Stars On Ice Tour after the Olympics this spring.
Our friends up north are doing the same from now until mid-May.
Notable names set to dazzle include Elvis Stojko, Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier, Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps, Katelyn Osmond and Madeline Schizas among others.
To see if there’s a show headed to your neck of the woods, you can find all Canada Stars On Ice shows below:
U.S. Stars On Ice 2026 skaters
To make sure you’re familiar with all of the skaters taking the ice at this year’s festivities, here are their most impressive achievements:
Alysa Liu Olympic Champion, Olympic Team Gold Medalist, reigning World Champion and two-time U.S. Champion. Her historic comeback culminated in the first U.S. women’s Olympic Gold since 2002. Ilia Malinin Olympic Team Gold Medalist, reigning two-time World Champion and reigning four-time U.S. Champion. He’s known as the “Quad God” and anchored the U.S. Team’s second consecutive Olympic Gold.
Madison Chock & Evan Bates Olympic Team Gold and Ice Dance Silver Medalists, three-time reigning World Champions, and seven-time reigning U.S. Champions.
Amber Glenn Olympic Team Gold Medalist and reigning three-time U.S. Champion. Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea Olympic Team Gold Medalists and U.S. Champions.
Isabeau Levito 2026 Olympic Team member, World Silver Medalist and U.S. Champion. Jason Brown Olympic Team Bronze Medalist and U.S. Champion. Andrew Torgashev 2026 Olympian.
Christina Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko 2026 Olympians.
As noted above, more skated will be announced at a later date.
Ilia Malinin interview
We spoke to Ilia Malinin at length ahead of his Prudential Center and UBS Arena ‘Stars On Ice Tour’ shows. Here’s what the elite skater had to say.
What are some of the most valuable things you learned from your parents and Raf?
One of the most important lessons is taking everything one step at a time and going with the flow.
That’s something that’s helped me achieve what I want to do in the sport. I also recently learned it’s okay to be different and stay authentic to yourself. You don’t need to live up to other people’s expectations.
Which skaters inspire you?
There’s a few that stick with me. Yuzuru Hanyu is one of the my favorites. He’s like a God to me. He helped me find my style with his technical abilities and passion on the ice.
Nathan Chen, too. He’s really been an inspiration for me. He’s so consistent. Kurt Browning’s another one. The way he presents himself ice on the ice is so amazing.
Any crazy stories from the tour you can share?
Not necessarily crazy stories but we’ve been to a few cool places. We went to Universal and that was amazing. We went with pretty much the whole cast and had quick access to all of the rides and all the attractions.
Even being on the tour busses and going from city to city is always so fun.
Have you started working on next season’s programs?
I have not, because I am still not sure what I want to do next season. I will have to see how I feel after Stars on Ice. So I’m still taking things one step at a time.
Since you’ve landed the quad axel many times, how do you keep pushing the envelope with your skating?
It’s more about finding things I can work on. That might not always be technical elements- it could also be improving my skating skills, improving my spins, finding new ways to be more creative and finding new concepts and programs.
I always come from a mindset of wanting to improve more and more, and that’s how it helps me push my limits every time, just to keep one-upping myself.
Who are you most proud of on the tour?
Alysa Liu. I’m very proud of her because of everything she’s had to deal with after the Olympics. She’s a huge name in skating now and is the inspiration for all of us.
What’s a typical training day like when you’re on the road with Stars on Ice?
Usually we just get to the next city and have little time to rest. Then, we head to the rink halfway through the day to set everything up, check out the group numbers and see how the show is looking. After that, we have our individual practices to get us ready for the shows and then it’s showtime.
Which musical artists would you like to see live?
I would love to see NF live again but I’d also love to see Falling In Reverse, Babymetal, Skrillex, Ray Volpe or Sullivan King.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Huge family-friendly shows
Looking for even more entertainment that will be fun for the kids and grandparents?
We’ve got you covered.
Here are just five shows you won’t want to miss with the whole family.
• Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey Circus
• “Return of the Jedi” in concert
Prefer a concert? Check out our list of all the biggest artists on tour in 2026 to find the show of your dreams.
Why you should trust ‘Post Wanted’ by the New York Post
This article was written by Matt Levy, New York Post live events reporter. Levy stays up-to-date on all the latest tour announcements from your favorite musical artists and comedians, as well as Broadway openings, sporting events and more live shows – and finds great ticket prices online. Since he started his tenure at the Post in 2022, Levy has reviewed a Bruce Springsteen concert and interviewed Melissa Villaseñor of SNL fame, to name a few. Please note that deals can expire, and all prices are subject to change.
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