Warped Tour-bound artists Hoobastank and Simple Plan performed a mid-flight concert Friday, a promotional gig that happened to coincide with a nationwide air travel shutdown.
The Used and LØLØ also played a couple songs for passengers aboard Southwest’s Los Angeles-to-Orlando flight as part of the airline’s Live at 35 series, which “transforms ordinary flights into extraordinary concert experiences, with surprise pop-up performances for passengers at a cruising altitude of 35,000 feet,” Southwest said.
Looks like some stuck travelers got a concert from the singer of Hoobastank during the national air traffic shut down https://t.co/xWW5yE9JaP
— Jennie Taer (@JennieSTaer) November 14, 2026
✈️ IMAGINE BOARDING A FLIGHT AND GETTING A FREE SIMPLE PLAN CONCERT. 🎸🔥
That’s exactly what happened aboard a Southwest flight headed to Orlando.
Love Music?
Get your daily dose of everything happening in Australian/New Zealand music and globally.
Simple Plan’s Pierre Bouvier grabbed a guitar and performed “Perfect” and “I’m Just a Kid” right in the cabin.
And he wasn’t alone.
Hoobastank and The Used also performed their classic 2000s hits.
Meanwhile, thousands of travelers across America were dealing with a massive FAA shutdown.
Some passengers got flight chaos.
These lucky fans got a flying pop-punk festival. 😂
Forget first class. THIS is the upgrade millennials actually want.
Would you have sung along? https://t.co/hGoOPrsNGb
— Daniel C (@chowoohpolice) November 14, 2026
What made this Live at 35 concert especially unique is that it occurred amid a full-scale air transit standstill that resulted in hundreds of flights being cancelled, postponed, or rerouted, while thousands of passengers were stranded either at airports or on the tarmac.
The Southwest flight ultimately made it to Orlando on Friday, ensuring that the four artists on board will make it to this weekend’s Warped Tour in the Florida city. Other bands, however, weren’t so lucky: Warped Tour founder Kevin Lyman said from the Camping World Stadium campus Saturday that the festival lineup would be shuffled in some capacity this weekend, as some artists got stuck in travel hell while others had their arrivals delayed:
View this post on Instagram
Thankfully, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony, scheduled for Saturday night in Los Angeles, won’t be impacted by the air travel situation, as all participating artists are already in the city in order to take part in rehearsals.
From Rolling Stone US
