FREEHOLD TOWNSHIP — All Samantha Belbey wanted was a hug from the leader of her favorite band, Tokio Hotel.
"I really wanted to meet them," said the 14-year-old, her eyes still wet after being told by a security guard that she could not hug Bill Kaulitz, the band's popular lead singer.
Belbey of Riverhead, N.Y., joined hundreds of adoring fans Friday for an autograph signing with the band at the Hot Topic clothing store in the Freehold Raceway Mall.
Tokio Hotel — which is causing a minor sensation in this country after years of popularity in Germany — kicked off its U.S. club tour Thursday with a sold-out performance at the Starland Ballroom in Sayreville.
The band members already are major stars in Germany, where they have sold close to 3 million CDs and DVDs and have earned themselves four No. 1 singles and two No. 1 albums. They recently released an album made up of tracks from their first two German albums, re-recorded in English.
In a nod to their gaining popularity in this country, the video for their single "Ready, Set, Go" was recently nominated for an MTV Video Music Award.
The rockers were greeted Friday by long lines of mainly teenaged girls decked out in a uniform of skin-tight jeans, studded belts and brightly dyed hair.
Ashley Ankudovich and Leyna Andren, both 16-year-old Stafford residents, were the first to arrive, just before 7 a.m., they said. The mall opens at 10 a.m.
"They are the only (band) I want to ever meet," Ankudovich gushed.
Both teens, like many others in the crowd, said they attended the band's concert Thursday. But that wasn't enough for many, apparently.
"Bill's voice is, like, so good," said Marissa Silverberg, 16, of Manalapan, referring to Tokio Hotel's superskinny front man, Bill Kaulitz, who usually sports an electrified shock of black hair and enough eye shadow and eyeliner to make Motley Crue proud.
Silverberg went to the concert with John Pender, one of the few male fans at the signing. Silverberg and Pender were each wearing T-shirts emblazoned with the words "Tokio Hotel" as they waited in line.
The band's music encourages listeners to be positive, said Pender, 16, of Manalapan.
"Whatever gets you down — there's always something good in life to look forward to," Pender said.
Nicole Chis, 14, and Joy Mo, 13, of Highland Park came prepared.
"Bill" and "Kaulitz" were written in black marker on Chis' arms. And Mo came with a handmade sign that read "We Love Tokio Hotel" in German, using the colors of the German flag — yellow, red and black. On the back, she had recreated the German flag.
"We love Tokio Hotel. . . . Their music is really cool. It's, like, really good," Chis said.
"I've never liked anybody so much," she added.
Zarina Montecinos, 14, likes the band so much that she and her sister came from Fredericksburg, Va., to attend the concert and the signing.
"I was, like, shocked," Montecinos said, still trying to catch her breath after the bandmates signed a shirt for her.
"I just love the music," Montecinos said.
Her favorite is Bill Kaulitz, whose twin brother, Tom, plays guitar for the band.
"I love his hair," she said, referring to Bill Kaulitz. "He's so cute."
