Lacking only a Lachey . . .

On Friday night, my mom, LAP, and I drove to the All State Arena in Rosemont, IL to enjoy the Dancing with the Stars tour (presented by Soft Scrub). I got the tickets for my mom for Christmas, and LAP drove to Chicago (and home the very next day) all in the name of the family love and DWTS fanaticism. Our seats were good, though I had hoped and was willing to shell out for better. I'm still trying to figure out how one can be on ticketmaster.com the very minute tickets go on sale and get shut out. I got through on the phone one minute later and scored seats in the last row (but in a good middle section). I ignored all the "Ticketmaster sucks" rumblings when they were in reference to Hannah Montana, but now it has hit home. Ticketmaster does suck.

On to the good stuff though. The tour is pretty stinking awesome. The level of dancing is really high, the live music rocks, and there is just the right amount of DWTS cheese (e.g., Joey Fatone comparing himself to Justin Timberlake by claiming that J.T. might have brought sexy back, but Joey Fat One is bringing "cha cha" and then "chunky" back. Joey also made fun of his own big butt, which was amusing). We were initially disappointed to realize Wayne Newton was on tour because watching him dance is a bit painful. We were delighted to discover that he actually only sings, not dances. Great news. Besides Joey Fatone and Wayne Newton, the other "celebrities" in the house were Monique Coleman, Joey Lawrence, and Sabrina Ryan (my girl Sabrina was on the floor with the pros for much of the night). We were mightily relieved that Marie Osmond was not on the slate for the Chicago show. Given the unreasonable and perhaps inexplicable affection and loyalty my sisters and I have for the Brothers Lachey, it was a blow that Drew was not at our show (for the record, he is tied up hosting Dance War.) My dream is to see a DWTS show in the 'Nati, where Drew dances, fellow DWTS alum Jerry Springer makes a special appearance, and Nick sings just one song. Oh, and Tom Bergeron hosts (not because of a Cincinnati tie, just because I adore him). We'll see what the tour schedule for this summer looks like.

And, of course, no account of the DWTS tour would be complete without mention of my favorite professional dancers. Cheryl, Karina, Kym, and Edyta were all there, as were Louis (who choreographs the whole show), Alec, Mark, and Derek. Kym and Derek are on the floor for practically every number, and they rock. The deliciously arrogant Maks was not there (he's not on the tour), nor was Julianne, the reigning two-time champion and cutest girl in the world (she is on the tour for selected dates only). Oh, I almost forgot Brian with the cute butt and large nostrils. He was there too. One dirty little secret about the DWTS tour is that there is also a group called the "company dancers" who are on the floor quite a bit. It's not that they're not good dancers, but they're not, you know, "stars" (even C and D list ones) or the dance pros we've come to love.

I think that's all there is left to report. Friends of ours are attending the Cincinnati show next week and sitting in seats at tables right next to the dance floor. They're going to have a blast and may even get a little Lachey. Good for them.