Air Force Band of the West perform in Del Rio

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Peter Borys
  • 47th Flying Training Wing public affairs
LAUGHLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  Music lovers of all ages were thrilled to the sounds of the United States Air Force Band of the West Oct. 15. The free concert at the Paul Poag Theatre in downtown Del Rio was part of Fiesta De Amistad which is an annual week-long festival that promotes the friendship between the sister cities of Del Rio and Ciudad Acuna, Mexico.

This five-piece group, called Top Flight, is stationed at Lackland AFB and travels more than 30,000 miles annually, performing throughout Texas, Arizona, New Mexico and Louisiana.

Formed in 1991, they are also the USAF Band of the West's "go to" ensemble for deployments to Southwest Asia in support of Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom. Since 2006, Top Flight has deployed three times, performing for more than 31,000 joint U.S. and coalition forces.

Top Flight performs a variety of music from country and current pop music to classic rock and rhythm and blues.

Additional events are ongoing this week during the festival such as the Fiesta de Amistad Parade and arts and crafts fair. For more information, visit the website for Fiesta de Amistad.