Tops in Blue struts their stuff

  • Published
  • By Airman Collin Schmidt
  • 341st Missile Wing Public Affairs
MALMSTROM AIR FORCE BASE, Mont. --  Hundreds of Team Malmstrom and Great Falls community members gathered together to experience the sounds of Tops in Blue as they performed at the Montana Expo Park Nov. 28 during the North American leg of their 2015 world tour.

Comprised of some of the Air Force's top vocalists, dancers, musicians and technicians, Tops in Blue travels across the globe to promote community relations, support recruiting efforts, boost morale and serve as ambassadors for the United States and the U.S. Air Force.

With every performance, venue and new country they visit, the group strives to put on an excellent show and share the gift of music with the world.

"We started practicing together in March of this year to prepare for the seven-month-long tour," said Airman 1st Class Brier Depriest, U.S. Air Force Tops in Blue performer. "After practicing for two months we hit the road and are currently in month five of the tour.

"This has been an amazing experience to participate in something this special and perform for people across the nation and oversees," she continued. "When I was eight, my father who was an active-duty air traffic controller took me to a Tops in Blue performance. After the show, I told my parents that I wanted to be this someday."

During the performance, eight-year old Depriest was fixated on a single performer who caught her attention early on in the show. Years later, after joining the Air Force and being selected to participate in the group's 2015 world tour, she had the opportunity to fulfill her childhood dream.

"I don't know her name, I can't remember what she sang or anything else about her except that she was an amazing performer with an amazing group," said Depriest. "When we stopped at that spot on the tour, I took a picture in the same exact place I saw her perform and texted my parents and told them that I am today what that little girl aspired to be all those years ago."

Tops in Blue strives to create that spark for everyone they perform for, said Depriest. It is more than just entertainment. The goal is to show the world what the United States and the U.S. Air Force is about and that no matter what a person's dream is it can be accomplished with hard work and dedication. 

"The theme song of this tour is 'Freedom's Song,'" said Senior Airman Christine David, Tops in Blue performer. "We all like to meet people after the show and on one occasion an individual came up to me with tears in his eyes. He told me that he was a concentration camp survivor.

"He said that some of the music we performed was the music of his time and that it helped him get through hardships that he endured. He said that it reminded him of freedom. To see the diversity of who comes to these shows and impact it has is an amazing thing to be a part of. This is why we do what we do."

For nearly two hours, the group danced, sang and shared a little military history with attendees. From beginning to end, the show spanned more than 50 years of music genres and dance styles including everything from Frank Sinatra's classics to the modern Bruno Mars smash hit "Uptown Funk."

More than 350 Team Malmstrom and community members attended, clapping along as the beat got heavy and the vocalists belted out lyrics to the melody of the moment.

Through song and dance Tops in Blue showed what it means to be an American Airman serving in the greatest military in the world.

For more information on Tops in Blue and the final leg of the 2015 world tour, visit http://www.topsinblue.com