Oakland’s Olympian Alysa Liu Wows in Bay Area “Stars on Ice” Showcase

When the first few notes of “Promise” by Laufey softly echoed through the SAP Center on Sunday afternoon, the capacity crowd at the Stars on Ice showcase instantly drowned out the piano riff with delirious screams. After four acts with other figure skating stars, the long awaited moment had finally arrived. Alysa Liu, illuminated by a single spotlight at the center of the ice, skated and twirled and jumped and spun through the same routine that helped her capture an Olympic gold medal three months ago. After finishing the set, and raising her hands, the Oakland native had a chance to address the audience during her first hometown performance since dominating in Milan. The free-spirited 20-year-old did not disappoint.

“That’s what I’m (expletive) talking about,” Liu, repeating the famous line she screamed into the camera after her gold medal-winning skate in Northern Italy. Liu, still adjusting her to her new life as a celebrity, kept a promise made long before she took the San Jose ice. “They should expect a show,” Liu, putting emphasis on the last word, told the Bay Area News Group earlier this week.

It was not just a one-person exhibition, though. Her fellow “Blade Angels” and team gold medalists Isabeau Levito and Amber Glenn also drew oohs, ahhs and adoration during their time on the ice, and Ilia Malinin, and Madison Chock and Evan Bates were also among a star-studded cast. Aside from Liu’s two individual skates, the most ear-splitting roars were heard during the Blade Angels’ three-person routine set to K-POP Demon Hunters’ “Golden.” If there was anyone who wanted the Bay Area to appreciate the entire cast, it was Liu. “My castmates are pretty awesome skaters themselves, so their solo numbers are so cool to watch,” Liu said.

The 21st stop in a 28-leg tour that has taken Liu and Co. from one coast to the other, finally brought her home. More than a few fans of all genders sported the blonde-and-brunette halo hairstyle Liu wears, and t-shirts with her face printed upon them were plentiful. Though popular with tweens and teenagers, spectators of all ages were at SAP Center.

Elvie Pepper was only three months old when she was enthralled by Liu’s performance on her grandparents’ television. Sunday, she was able to make it through half of the show before her parents made a quiet exit at intermission. But her grandmother, Amy Peele, stayed for the entire show after making the drive from Marin County. Though many decades older than Liu, Peele could not help but be impressed by Liu’s ability to be herself. “I’m in my 70s, so I can spot wisdom in a young person, and she has that,” Peele said. “Just to watch her perform here, you can see how comfortable she is.”

The day was an especially special one for fellow Oaklander Amanda Zarasua. “Seeing her in her gold dress at the Olympics, and being like “Shout out Oakland,” it’s unbelievable, indescribable,” Zarasua said. “And seeing her on TV is one thing, but seeing her in person, skating, is a whole other thing.”

The raucous reception Liu received was not dissimilar to the one Brian Boitano received in 1988 when the Sunnyvale product skated at the Cow Palace after winning gold. The crowds love the show wherever it goes, but the Bay Area gives an extra bit of love to its own. “When they introduced me in the opening number on the first stop of the tour, I thought the ceiling was going to blow off because the cheers were so loud,” Boitano recalled in an interview earlier this week. “When you come back to the Bay Area, it’s even louder because you’re the hometown hero, and you’re the hometown kid.” The hometown kid saved her best for last.

As the sport’s face of Gen Z superstardom, Liu became even more of an internet sensation than she already was during the Olympics’ Exhibition Gala, when she skated to Zara Larsson’s remix of PinkPantheress’ “Stateside.” Wearing her now famous blue dress, Liu struck the poses that a pair of teenagers tried to pull off for their TikToks in the SAP parking lot before the gates opened. After landing her final move, Liu waved and bowed to each corner of the arena, leaving no section without attention. Once the entire Stars on Ice ensemble went out to the center of the frozen stage, they made a lap around the arena and gave high fives to those closest to the ice. Before leaving the ice, and turning her sights to the next city, Liu was the last to exit. She waved, covered her face with glee, and then concluded her homecoming with a deep bow while enveloped by applause.