Haitian Band Entertains Plane Passengers Delayed 6 Hours
Lakou Mizik, a Haitian band, wanted to lift the spirits of passengers.
— -- When a United Airlines flight in Chicago was delayed for nearly six hours earlier this month, a Haitian band on board took it upon themselves to be the in-flight entertainment.
On July 23 members of Port-au-Prince-based band Lakou Mizik treated their fellow passengers to an impromptu performance. The jam session not only entertained those on board -- it also captivated the internet.
The nine-member group, which started in 2010 after Haiti's catastrophic earthquake, performed two songs, "Azouke" and "Parenn Legba," as they walked down the plane's aisle with their instruments in tow. The band performed in its native Creole and a "voodoo language," according to the band's manager Zach Niles.
Band member Steeve Valcourt told ABC News that the band, currently on its North American tour, was traveling from Portland, Oregon, to Burlington, Vermont, with a stopover at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport. Bad weather in the Chicago area delayed the plane's departure and the crew decided to ground the plane until the skies cleared.
"The captain said we could go out [of the plane] if we wanted to eat something or if you wanted to use the bathroom and as we're going out we felt the need to sing something to take our minds off of the moment," Valcourt explained. "We all just felt it and started instantly singing."
He added: "It was the same after the earthquake in Haiti. We were watching people on the street; they needed that hope again and that's when we started singing."
Valcourt said initially passengers were surprised, but after a few moments, many of the flight's passengers recorded the moment on their smartphones. At the end of the performance the rapt audience stood up and cheered.
"Music is universal. Music is a language that everyone speaks," Valcourt explained. "For a split second that spirit started to pass through everyone and we became one on the plane."
United Airlines told ABC News in a statement: "Hats off to Lakou and his band for bringing some sunshine to a stormy day."