An official website of the United States government
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Elite entertainers pay visit to base

  • Published
  • By By Airman 1st Class David Dobrydney
  • 379th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
SOUTHWEST ASIA --  All attention turned to center stage on Tuesday when the U.S. Air Force's premier entertainment group, Tops in Blue, came to town.

Coordinated by the 379th Expeditionary Force Support Squadron, this was the group's 10th annual performance here.

Brig. Gen. Stephen Wilson, 379th Air Expeditionary Wing commander opened the show. "I've been in the service 28 years. I've seen 25 Tops in Blue shows," he told the gathered crowd, "and I think what you're about to see is the best show they've ever done."

The theme of this year's tour is "To Dream." Members kicked off the show with a stirring rendition of "To Dream the Impossible Dream," and treated the audience to more than 30 songs ranging from 1950s pop to country. Hits with the audience included a set of songs from the motion picture "Dreamgirls" and a performance of "Hello Dolly" by a Louis Armstrong impersonator.

The biggest cheers, however, were held until the final traditional singing of "God Bless the USA" and the Air Force Song.

During several numbers, the performers ventured into the audience and incorporated them into the show. One audience member, Staff Sgt. Noemi Quinones, was serenaded with a romantic love song.

"Normally I'd be asleep right now," said the Newark, N.J., native, who is deployed from McGuire Air Force Base, N.J. "This was definitely worth staying awake for."

The show on Tuesday was a big night for servicemembers here, but it was just a small part of the Tops in Blue tour.

Operated by Headquarters Air Force Services Agency out of Randolph AFB, Texas, Tops in Blue stages 160 separate shows every year at bases and other venues around the world. Every show presents its own unique challenges, and Tuesday night's performance was no different.

"Here [the challenge] is definitely going to be the climate," said Tops in Blue Performance Director Edward Jones of Natchez, Mississippi. "But you get to the point where it's just like anyone else doing their job."

Besides being an elite group of entertainers, the performers are also their own technical crew. To pull off a flawless presentation, approximately 80,000 pounds of lights, sound gear, instruments and other equipment needs to be put in place and tested.

"When we come to the AOR, it's totally different than what our normal day at home would be like," Mr. Jones said, referring to the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility. Starting in the early morning hours before sunrise allows the group time to adequately test their lights. "It's also the coolest part of the day, and that's the best for the team."

Airman 1st Class Adam Sims joined the group from Yokota AB, Japan. He plays keyboards and is also one of the lighting technicians. He agreed there is a difference between shows performed for a home audience versus a deployed one. In the deployed environment, the show has less dialogue and is more concert-oriented than a stateside performance.

"It's a different feeling. You get used to doing the show the way we do it in other places, and then we come here and we make some changes. For me it feels better and I really enjoy being over in the AOR -- the energy's higher," he said.

Airman Sims described what it's like on a typical performance day.

"If someone is watching from outside, it looks like a bunch of ants going crazy breaking down pallets, taking things apart, putting things together, moving everything," the Sandflat, Ala., native said, "but for the team members, we each have our own path through the setup and throughout the day. My day starts with taking the nets off the pallets and I'm responsible for certain parts of equipment and placing them where they need to be."

Airman Sims said that despite the stress involved of not only being a performer, but also being your own stage crew, he's still proud to be a member of Tops in Blue.

"All of us are in the Air Force for a reason. Tops in Blue found me at my base. I knew this was the place I could best serve my country, and I'm enjoying every minute of it."