A member of Tops In Blue performs a solo during the final concert of the 2010 "We Believe" tour March 27, 2011, at Trinity University in San Antonio. (U.S. Air Force photo/Steve Thurow)
Airman 1st Class Jamie Horner performs during the final concert of the 2010 "We Believe" tour March 27, 2011, at Trinity University in San Antonio. Airman Horner is a vocalist with Tops In Blue. (U.S. Air Force photo/Steve Thurow)
Staff Sgt. James Alston performs during the final concert of the 2010 "We Believe" tour March 27, 2011, at Trinity University in San Antonio. Sergeant Alston is a vocalist with Tops In Blue. (U.S. Air Force photo/Steve Thurow)
by Brian McGloin
502nd Air Base Wing Operating Location B Public Affairs
4/15/2011 - RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE, Texas (AFNS) -- After touring the world performing for service members home and abroad, Tops in Blue took the stage April 9 at the Trinity University's Laurie Auditorium in San Antonio.
Tops in Blue is the premier performance group of the Air Force, made up of 35 active-duty amateur musicians and performers who compete to be part of the special unit.
The performance was the last of the group's 2010 We Believe tour, but plans are under way for the group's 2011 season.
Members of the Randolph Air Force Base community volunteered their time to work at the theater as part of the support staff.
"'We Believe' was a great theme, which we all need to hear," said Cynthia Webber, who is assigned to the12th Operations Support Squadron and worked as an usher during the concert. "Whether it's a message to all our great troops serving in the war zones and conflict areas, those affected by the natural devastations around the world or the families; we have got to believe that everything's going to be all right eventually or things may appear to difficult to bare," "I am such a fan of the Tops in Blue and proud of them for the relevant messages they bring on a very busy schedule."
It was an outstanding event and as usual, the show was heartfelt and very entertaining," she said. "The last song touches me every time I hear it, so thanks to the performers and all responsible for the show."
Airmen from Randolph and the Joint base San Antonio communities were some of those responsible for the show.
Tech. Sgt. Daniel Fountain, an 882nd Training Support Squadron military training leader, said he was part of the seven-member tear-down crew after the show.
"I didn't get to watch the show unfortunately," he said. "I'd seen it a couple of times while stationed at Hickam AFB (Hawaii) prior to coming here and thought they put on a great show. "
This tour featured some changes from past programs with the addition of current, popular music in addition to the standards.
"From speaking with some of the other setup crew, they'd changed up some of the older, more traditional music and opted for more current mainstream music, such as Lady Gaga and The Black-Eyed Peas," Sergeant Fountain said. "The stage looked awesome. A lot of attention to detail was put in to the setup. "
The Tops in Blue 2011 team continues to prepare for their upcoming tour entitled, "Rhythm Nation," scheduled to begin April 30 at Barksdale AFB, La.
2/16/2012 2:40:36 PM ET Jed - we wouldn't really save ANY Air Force money by cutting Tops in Blue. TIB doesnt use AF associating funds to travel around the world. they get sponsored by companies such as Coca-Cola and various other agencies. Almost 95 percent of the money TIB uses is from the sponserships. it would really be nice if our great men and women leaving negative comments about this program would actually know the facts about the groups before slandering them on here. I am a PRIOR Tops in Blue member from the 2010 Tour and i am VERY Proud of what we did as a group and what we accomplished. A lot of what people see is just the Show aspect of this program. what they dont see is all the work to SET UP and TEAR DOWN.... the LONG bus rides. The LONG HOURS that everyone involved in these programs have to get accustomed to while keeping a good attitude and being the EXAMPLES of standards of what ALL airmen should strive to achieve in their career. Its sad that these programs get so many negative commen
SSgt Christopher Cacopardo, Davis-Monthan
4/18/2011 1:16:49 AM ET How much money would be saved by cutting out the various bands, Tops in Blue, fly-bys etc., not to mention taking these people away from their daily missions for a year?
