Allstar Weekend: Fans treated to performance by Disney Channel stars

By Jennifer Clampet (USAG Wiesbaden)January 27, 2011

Allstar Weekend: Fans treated to performance by Disney Channel stars
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Allstar Weekend: Fans treated to performance by Disney Channel stars
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Allstar Weekend: Fans treated to performance by Disney Channel stars
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WIESBADEN, Germany - The Armed Forces Entertainment's latest musical tour brought a heart-throbbing mob of fans center stage.

Twelve-year-olds Katryn Brown and Monica Gonzalez had their faces pressed against the glass doors at Flyers Theater Jan. 23 hours before Allstar Weekend ever took the stage.

"We've been here since two o'clock," Gonzalez squealed, her mother nodding in affirmation for those who might have doubted her daughter's excitement for the 7 p.m. concert.

The girls' handmade posters loudly requested the affections of the Disney Channel stars. And the duo's painted faces with "ASW" left no wonder to the extent of their commitment to see, hear and maybe even touch members of the Allstar Weekend band.

"It's them themselves," said Gonzalez as to why the band would draw such devotion. "They're funny and amazing."

Allstar Weekend is the latest entertainment group to tour under Armed Forces Entertainment at the U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden.

Founded in 1951, Armed Forces Entertainment aims to host up-and-coming entertainers for overseas performances open to troops and their families.

The agency is the single point of contact with the Department of Defense for providing entertainment to U.S. military personnel serving overseas. In 2008 the agency hosted 114 tours for more than 1,000 performances.

Stars who have toured under Armed Forces Entertainment have included Sugarland, Flo Rida, Kid Rock, Sinbad, D.L. Hughley and the New York Underground Comedy Festival All Stars - the latter performed this summer at the Wiesbaden Entertainment Center.

Allstar Weekend is a popular Disney Channel band which has built a fan base through its rising Disney Radio fame, extended play CDs and viral music videos.

Eleven-year-olds Olivia Thompson and Dominique Huff became fans after watching the band's rise to stardom on the Disney Channel.

"Yeah, they're talented," said Thompson as she sat in the Flyers Theater - a homemade poster with glittering letters a few seats down from her.

"If they hadn't have come here (to Wiesbaden), I would have snuck out to see them wherever," said Huff giving a playful smile.

More than 100 people attended the band's free concert on the Wiesbaden Army Airfield. Most of the audience members - mostly preteen and teenage girls - rushed the stage as the show began.

Halfway through the Jan. 23 show, the band's lead singer Zachary Porter thanked the crowd for its enthusiasm and noted the band's own excitement for performing for America's military families.

Allstar Weekend wrapped up its two-week-long tour of U.S. military installations in the United Kingdom and Germany on Jan. 24.

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