Tops in Blue (TIB) - WTF?

[sky_king]

Is that the Russian version of Rick Rolling?

[okienav]

AFSOC in BLUES!

https://www2.hurlburt.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123192874

Tops In Blue claims Hurlburt loadmaster for 2010 tour

by Staff Sgt. Stacy Fowler

1st Special Operations Wing Public Affairs

3/2/2010 - HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. -- The Air Force's premiere entertainment ensemble, Tops In Blue, selected the performers for its 2010 tour - and an MC-130 loadmaster from Hurlburt Field, Fla., made the final cut.

Staff Sgt. Steven Sonnier, 1st Special Operations Group, leaves next week to begin several months of training before taking his performance to stages around the world.

"Being selected as a member of Tops In Blue is the realization of a dream," he said, "I know what the men and women go through on deployments, and I know firsthand the joy of seeing your brothers- and sisters-in-arms singing music that touches you or reminds you of home."

Sergeant Sonnier and the other 73 Airmen will assemble at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, to begin rigorous staging procedures and rehearsals on Mar. 7. And for the performers it's more than finding out what songs and dance moves they have to learn, said Sergeant Sonnier.

"We're not like a USO show. We do everything ourselves - our entire stage, our lights, everything," he said. "On a daily basis I am working hand-in-hand, 16 to 18 hours a day, with professional musicians, choreographers and technicians who are as passionate about music and the program as I am."

After completing training at Lackland AFB, the 2010 entertainment company will begin a 10-month tour in May, visiting more than 20 countries and performing more than 120 shows with this year's theme: "We Believe."

"Tops In Blue members are the physical manifestation of the core values and ideals that make the U.S. Air Force the best Air Force in the world," Sergeant Sonnier said. "This program...provides comfort to the people who need it most: the men and women serving their country, and the friends and family of those heroes

[brabus]

So you left a MC-130 for TIB...know how I know you're gay?

[Guest Rubber_Side_Down]

UFB. He sounds like one of them already.

Side note: "The physical manifestation of the core values and ideals that make the U.S. Air Force the best Air Force in the world" are the guys we medevac off the front line. It ain't TIB.

[sky_king]

The AF funds this but they can't drop a cool million dollars to fund it's free webmail "gimail" that you can get at home and at work?

[Duck]

TIB "claims" Hurlburt loadmaster... sounds like some kind of sickness or disease to me, maybe like zombie infestation, only worse.

[Guest Hueypilot812]

Side note: "The physical manifestation of the core values and ideals that make the U.S. Air Force the best Air Force in the world" are the guys we medevac off the front line. It ain't TIB.

2

Makes me boil to read a statement that's so self-justifying.

[bagasticks]

i suspect he'll still get to do some "load. . . . mastering"

[Guest Rubber_Side_Down]

TIB "claims" Hurlburt loadmaster... sounds like some kind of sickness or disease to me, maybe like zombie infestation, only worse.

Or a cult.

[Jughead]

The hit parade keeps on comin' as I'm subjected to AFN commercials. Apparently USAREUR wanted their own path to glory. The commercial had an absolutely riveting performance of "Turn the Beat Around"--I sure hope they add Iraq to their show schedule!!

Found their website: https://www.hqusareur.army.mil/band/ It doesn't tell the same story--maybe they really do focus on historic & ceremonial events (like the D-Day commemoration on the home page)...? Nahh...!

[JarheadBoom]

3/2/2010 - HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. -- The Air Force's premiere entertainment ensemble, Tops In Blue, selected the performers for its 2010 tour - and an MC-130 loadmaster from Hurlburt Field, Fla., made the final cut.

1. I can't believe I missed this for over 2 days...

2. This is NOT something I would've expected from ANYONE in AFSOC.

3. This is NOT something I would've expected from a crewdog on ANY airframe.

4. This IS, however, something I would've expected from a flight attendant...

UFB......

[Combat Platypus]

I went on a trip with him, he was kinda weird, loved singing karaoke, and he didn't drink.

[tac airlifter]

I went on a trip with him, he was kinda weird, loved singing karaoke, and he didn't drink.

Was he fabulous at Karaoke?

[Guest Rubber_Side_Down]

Was he fabulous at Karaoke?

Dude, guys like that ALWAYS want to go to a karaoke bar so that they can sing in front of everyone, and then have everyone tell them how great they are. It feeds the narcissicm.

When I was in college, the bar I worked at had a karaoke night. Drinks were cheap because we were always trying to drum up a larger crowd. The only people that hit up the bar on those nights were what we called "The Regulars." They followed the karaoke machine around town, and they traveled in packs. They all sang the same songs for each other every week, and then gave each other props. Lots of them carried around their own karaoke lyric books--laminated and spiral-bound. They called the guy running the karaoke machine the "Kay Jay," and they always said things like, "Hey, KJ...can I get a little more reverb?" They talked smack in the bathroom about how the KJ's sound system was waaaay off, and that's why they sounded bad tonight. ("Um, it was a little pitchy, dawg...")

These guys were absolute tools. They rarely drank anything besides water and soda, and they were VERY serious about karaoke. It was like they thought the CEO of Arista Records would come in the bar at any moment to sign them. I hated working those nights.

One guy had me make him a Zima with a shot of Midori in it. UFB.

[bagasticks]

Dude, guys like that ALWAYS want to go to a karaoke bar so that they can sing in front of everyone, and then have everyone tell them how great they are. It feeds the narcissicm.

When I was in college, the bar I worked at had a karaoke night. Drinks were cheap because we were always trying to drum up a larger crowd. The only people that hit up the bar on those nights were what we called "The Regulars." They followed the karaoke machine around town, and they traveled in packs. They all sang the same songs for each other every week, and then gave each other props. Lots of them carried around their own karaoke lyric books--laminated and spiral-bound. They called the guy running the karaoke machine the "Kay Jay," and they always said things like, "Hey, KJ...can I get a little more reverb?" They talked smack in the bathroom about how the KJ's sound system was waaaay off, and that's why they sounded bad tonight. ("Um, it was a little pitchy, dawg...")

These guys were absolute tools. They rarely drank anything besides water and soda, and they were VERY serious about karaoke. It was like they thought the CEO of Arista Records would come in the bar at any moment to sign them. I hated working those nights.

One guy had me make him a Zima with a shot of Midori in it. UFB.

Thats like a new category of dork for the Jim Rome show. . . . . "Karaoke Guy" fits in between "Softball Guy" and "Corvette Guy", and err. . . . ."Eagle Guy"

[Combat Platypus]

Was he fabulous at Karaoke?

He's a really good load.

[capt4fans]

He's a really good load.

Looks like he'll need those loadmaster skills while he's packing up all the equipment they're carrying around over the next year.

[outbreak]

I went on a trip with him, he was kinda weird, loved singing karaoke, and he didn't drink.

I didn't know karaoke was possible without large quantities of beer...

[Flare]

Here at the 'Deid. After I depleted my ration of 3 beers tonight, we wandered outside to find TIB playing. I'm a big fan of music/performing in general, and I find myself pretty tolerant of acts that aren't the best. But seriously...these guys are NOT good.

I'm glad I never wasted a night back at home to go see these guys.

[capt4fans]

Here at the 'Deid. After I depleted my ration of 3 beers tonight, we wandered outside to find TIB playing. I'm a big fan of music/performing in general, and I find myself pretty tolerant of acts that aren't the best. But seriously...these guys are NOT good.

I'm glad I never wasted a night back at home to go see these guys.

Glad I work nights and got to miss that freak show.

[outbreak]

We avoided the hell out of them at Salem a couple weeks ago. Apparently they were pissed that they had to set up their own shit because we didn't have spare bodies lying around to do it for them.

[skybert]

Why I joined the Marine Corps back in the day. Just sayin...... Oh and hats off to the REAL A.F.

[brabus]

Apparently they were pissed that they had to set up their own shit because we didn't have spare bodies lying around to do it for them.

They actually pull people from real jobs to set up their shit? Wow, the gayness just increased that much more.

[JarheadBoom]

They actually pull people from real jobs to set up their shit? Wow, the gayness just increased that much more.

I've heard from several Booms who've flown the TIB SAAMs, that they "ask" for "volunteers" to help set-up/tear-down the shows at each stop. I am certain that there are plenty of shoe E-9s, shirts, and even some CCs, who will happily "voluntold" their people for this (on top of their regular workload), in their efforts to be the biggest kissass at BaseX.

Fucking disgusting.

[Guest Rubber_Side_Down]

I thought that one of the selling point of TIB was that they set up and tore down their own sets, thus making it "one of the most efficient, and low-cost operations in the Air Force blah blah blah." I'd agree--it's pretty efficient when you just make everyone else do it for you. I need that job.

Edited August 6, 2010 by Rubber_Side_Down