A Southwest flight to Florida is stuck on the tarmac for 5 hours during a nationwide ground stop. They suddenly got treated to an impromptu concert

Passengers on a Southwest Airlines flight headed to Florida found themselves grounded for hours on Friday when the Federal Aviation Administration ordered a nationwide halt to departures.

The stop lasted five hours after an unusual communication problem that officials linked to routine management of older air traffic control equipment. While the plane remained on the tarmac, several rock bands traveling to a music festival turned the long wait into a live performance, according to The Daily Mail. 

Hoobastank lead singer Doug Robb took a microphone and performed the band’s 2003 song The Reason. Passengers helped create a stage by plugging in an amplifier and raising their phone flashlights as he moved through the aisle. Simple Plan lead singer Pierre Bouvier also joined in, singing an acoustic version of the band’s early 2000s track I’m Just a Kid.

Bands on a Warped Tour flight performed during the five-hour ground stop

Canadian pop-punk artist Lolo was on the same flight and later posted videos of the performances. She wrote on Instagram, “Thank u Southwest for the memories.” She added, “Every plane was grounded today, but the emo gods made sure this one flew.” Lolo noted that the flight had been chartered for people attending the Vans Warped Tour.

The Warped Tour was scheduled to take place in Orlando over the weekend, and many fans and artists had been flying in before the ground stop began. Lolo shared that both Hoobastank and Simple Plan were among those on board.

One passenger posted a video of singing along to Simple Plan and wrote, “When my childhood dream comes true and Simple Plan performs on my Southwest flight to the Vans Warped Tour.” Not every Southwest delay comes from the skies, as seen with a couple who delayed a Southwest flight.

Viewers who saw the clips online left comments about the unexpected show. One person wrote, “Stuck on a plane for hours and you end up with a free Hoobastank show. Honestly not the worst way to wait it out.”

Another wrote, “The best…love taking/making positives out of a such a negative situation!” A third wrote, “This makes me so happy, music can bring so much joy to cra–y situations.” A fourth joked, “Deep down, we always knew Hoobastank or Nickelback would save us.”

Kevin Lyman, one of the founders of the Warped Tour, said Saturday morning that he had not seen a nationwide ground stop in his 32 years running the festival. He said some bands were unable to reach the event and canceled, while most acts stayed on the schedule. Some performances were shifted from Saturday to Sunday.

The festival had not yet released a revised lineup for the weekend or said whether refunds would be available for people who could not attend because of the stop. The ground stop was the first since January 11, 2023, when an FAA computer system failed, and only the second since the September 11, 2001, attacks.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Saturday morning that operations were slowly returning to normal and that planes were safe to fly, though delays would continue. FlightAware data showed nearly 15,000 total delays as of Saturday at 1 p.m. EST, including more than 4,000 flights within, into, or out of the United States.