Emo Gods Play 'Live at 35' Mid-Air Amid Ground Stop
By @sharedot · · 6 pages
- Music
- Hoobastank
- Simple Plan
- Vans Warped Tour
As the FAA grounded flights nationwide on Nov. 13, Hoobastank, Simple Plan and The Used turned their Southwest flight into a flying emo show.
A Southwest Flight Became an Alt-Rock Concert at 35,000 Feet
While the FAA's nationwide ground stop on Nov. 13 left most travelers stranded, passengers on one Southwest flight out of Los Angeles got a different experience.
today.com reports that alt-rock acts Hoobastank, Simple Plan, The Used and LØLØ performed their hits in the aisles at 35,000 feet, part of Southwest's "Live at 35" pop-up concert program. According to E!
News, the bands were en route to the Vans Warped Tour 2026 stop in Orlando when they staged the mid-flight set, with Hoobastank's Doug Robb and Dan Estrin playing "The Reason" and "Crawling in the Dark," and Simple Plan's Pierre Bouvier singing "I'm Just a Kid," "Perfect" and "Welcome to Life."
Why the Timing Feels Like a Miracle
The surprise is the narrow escape. E!
News reports Robb told Rocksound on Nov. 14 that the flight was "one of the last" to depart before the shutdown, calling it "an extremely awesome and hilarious coincidence" — the band was mid-air asking whether everything was okay before deciding to start singing.
today.com notes the flight had just missed the ground stop entirely, and LØLØ summed up the mood on Instagram, writing, "Every plane was grounded today, but the emo gods made sure this one flew." Robb added that it "felt like a tube full of happy people."
The Evidence: Phone Lights and Fan Videos
The proof lives on social media. today.com describes clips showing passengers holding up phone flashlights and swaying as Hoobastank played their 2004 smash "The Reason" down the aisles, with another clip capturing Simple Plan performing their 2002 anthem "I'm Just a Kid."
E! News adds that The Used's Bert McCracken and Joey Bradford ran through "All That I've Got" and "The Taste of Ink" while passengers sang along, with footage shared by both travelers and the Warped Tour's official Instagram account.
Reaction online was pure envy — as one viewer put it, "this is the worst fomo I've ever had."
Watch: 'I'm Just a Kid' at 35,000 Feet
The video that captured the internet's imagination shows Simple Plan performing "I'm Just a Kid" mid-air, with E! News noting footage was posted to the Warped Tour's official Instagram alongside passenger clips.
For millennials who grew up on these bands, a plane cabin turning into a singalong during one of the most chaotic travel days of the year is exactly the kind of scene worth watching on repeat.