Southwest Airlines recently treated some of its passengers to some special inflight entertainment in the form of an onboard concert by the US pop-rock band Plain White T’s. Known all over the world for their hit 2005 single Hey There Delilah, the group has recently enjoyed a resurgence in popularity thanks to their music resurfacing and being rediscovered on social media platforms such as TikTok.

The band’s appearance was part of a wider initiative at Southwest Airlines that the US-based budget airline calls ‘Live At 35,’ with the name being a not-so-subtle reference to the thousands of feet in altitude that modern commercial aircraft tend to fly at. The performance delighted passengers, with the surprise allowing them to roll back the years to the mid-2000s when Hey There Delilah topped the charts.

Songs In The Sky

Credit: Southwest Airlines

As seen in the video below, Southwest Airlines and Plain White T’s recently went viral on social media after the latter played a surprise concert on board one of the former’s flights. While a commercial aircraft isn’t the most spacious musical environment at the best of times, let alone a Boeing 737 narrowbody operated by a budget carrier, Southwest was able to accommodate the four-man ensemble.

This, the carrier explained in a corresponding statement, featured “Tom Higgenson as lead singer and guitarist, accompanied by Tim Lopez on lead vocals and guitar, Mike Retondo on backing vocals and bass, and De’Mar Hamilton on percussion.” Higgenson went on to say that “there is nothing like hearing a plane full of people singing along with your music at 35,000 feet.” The singer also added that:

“We had the opportunity to perform inflight with Southwest over a decade ago, and while that can feel like it was a million years ago, not much has changed.”

Live At 35

Credit: Southwest Airlines

As it happens, Plain White T’s are far from the only band to have played a concert on board a Southwest Airlines jet over the years. The carrier explains that its ‘Live At 35’ initiative actually dates back a full 15 years, with Plain White T’s having been, as Southwest notes, “one of the first artists to perform onboard a Southwest flight when the airline launched the program.” There is more to come this year.

Indeed, Southwest Airlines went on to say that “the airline plans to dial up the experiences in the coming months, with more artists performing at new heights” in its recent statement. In years gone by, both “independent artists and mainstream musicians” have played on board flights operated by Southwest as part of the ‘Live At 35’ initiative, so it will certainly be interesting to see who else 2026 has in store.

The recent Plain White T’s concert was also a proud moment for Sabrina Callahan, who serves as the Senior Vice President and Chief Digital & Marketing Officer at Southwest Airlines. She said that “through ‘Live At 35’ and the personality of our incredible crew, we’ve created moments that turn flights into lasting memories from the minute our customers step onboard.” Talk about hitting a high note!

Onboard Concerts Are Rare But Not Unheard Of

Credit: Southwest Airlines

Over the years, several notable stories of onboard concerts have done the rounds in print media and online. For example, British band Jamiroquai once performed a gig on a Boeing 757 as part of a promotional event by Sony Ericsson after releasing a new album. The ticketed event took place on February 27, 2007, with just 200 spots up for grabs. The band played six songs in mid-air that night.

Sometimes, such performances are more spontaneous. Indeed, Simple Flying reported back in 2019 that a Delta Air Lines passenger had played their violin as part of a deal to secure overhead locker space for the instrument after there had initially not been enough room. In the UK, meanwhile, a retired Concorde that is now housed at Manchester Airport (MAN) has hosted classical concerts on the ground.