Return of the sax: Firefighter plays to home crowd with Tops in Blue

  • Published
  • By Karen Abeyasekere
  • 100th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
ROYAL AIR FORCE MILDENHALL, England --  As Tops in Blue played to a crowd of almost 500 Oct. 1, 2014, one sparkly-suited performer shone a little brighter than the rest as he played his heart out on the saxophone on his home turf.

Senior Airman Bobby Lucas, 100th Civil Engineer Squadron Fire Department firefighter from Toledo, Ohio, is part of this year's Tops in Blue entertainment group and has been travelling the world with them, playing to Airmen and their families at bases scattered far and wide.

Lucas's fellow firefighters were at the concert showing their support for the young fireman they hadn't seen in months.

"Their reputation preceded them, so I had some fairly high expectations of the evening from the get-go," said Paul Charland-Marlow, 100th CES Fire Department lead dispatcher from Beck Row, Suffolk. "This performance was extra-special for us at the RAF Mildenhall Fire Department as we had one of our own performing. We were able to catch up with Bobby before the performance and were amazed by the details of his year so far."

Being in the Air Force brings new experiences, and being on the road for months on end gives the opportunity for the Tops in Blue members to see new places and perform for local communities as well as military installations.

"Doing 'give-backs' when we go to places such as hospitals, care homes for the elderly and child care centers means the most to me," said Lucas, adding that people's reaction to them performing was very positive.

"We had a show at a rodeo in Cheyenne, Wyoming, on the Fourth of July. There was a gentleman there who was quite large because of an illness which meant he couldn't move as well as he used to," the firefighter said. "But he walked all the way upstairs just to see us after the show, and he told us how much he appreciated it and what it meant to him."

Lucas explained that even though they perform at a lot of different bases, the experience of playing at every one of them is different.

"It depends on how the team is interacting with each other and how the ambience feels in the room," he recalled. "When the crowd is super-hyper it makes us super-hyper!"

The saxophonist said that one of the best things about the tour has been the learning experience.

"Learning different things from everyone; you take away something from everyone you're around, yet at the same time you give to them what's unique about yourself," added Lucas. "After being around all the musicians that I'm around, I pick up (tips) from them and add it to my own style of music. There's  another saxophone player (in Tops in Blue) and we learn from each other."

The most difficult thing about being on tour with so many people, according to Lucas, is keeping everybody on the same page.

"It's hard to manage a group, but in the end it works because everyone works together and it's just that magic -- the difficulties add to the magic that's on stage. It's how we feel at the end of the show that matters," he said.

The Tops in Blue performer said he believes they reach people in many different ways.

"The power of music is really strong," said Lucas. "(Our different music styles) can reach out to the kids and make them want to do what we do when they get older. The patriotic set reaches out to everybody in the military that's been through deployments or is on a deployment right now. It lets them know we're there for them and we're supporting them. It affects everyone in the crowd -- it's like an emotional rollercoaster, as it has its ups and downs."

Lucas's firefighter family were excited to finally see him perform on stage, rather than just in the station.

"We as a department are wholly proud of Bobby and the rest of Tops in Blue, and it proved that one of our core values, 'Excellence in All we Do,' was alive and kicking," Charland-Marlow remarked. "The performance was fantastic.

"Seeing the young children dancing to the music at the start of the performance was great, and by the finale we were all out of our seats and joining in. It was a great performance from Tops in Blue and Bobby! We're all proud of you."