Concert Review: Plain White T's with Drifter at the Honeywell Center in Wabash, IN

The night before Valentine’s Day, Friday, February 13th, 2026, Plain White T’s came to Wabash, Indiana to spread some love.  With their pop-punk/pop-rock sound, they rocked at the Honeywell Center.  Drifter, indie-pop/indie-rock with folk vibes, opened up the stage for Plain White T’s.  The Honeywell Center was pretty much full with fans.  

Formed in 1997 in Lombard, Illinois, starting out in basements, bars and small clubs, Plain White T’s have come a long way.  They’ve had massive success and are probably most recognized by their double Grammy nominated song, “Hey there, Delilah.”  “Rhythm of Love” and “1, 2, 3, 4” were certified platinum in 2009 and 2011.  They performed those songs for us, and brought us back in time with these feel good love songs.  

The band has had a lineup change through the years, but founding member and lead vocalist Tom Higgenson remains.  Even with the original members no longer part of Plain White T’s, they sounded phenomenal.  Tim G Lopez (lead guitar and occasional lead vocals), Mike Retondo (bass and backing vocals), and De’Mar Randell Hamilton (drums) have made up the new lineup with Tom since 2003.  

Before Plain White T’s took the stage, Drifter won over the hearts of the audience.  Brothers Jake Slater and Michael Schofi from New York City really were something great with their incredible harmonies.  For just two men and two guitars, they brought a huge sound.  They had a really lovely early 2000’s indie sound.  They radiated happy energy and the crowd was digging it.  They are the definition of good things coming in small packages. Go give them a follow on their Instagram page at @drifterbandnyc

The crowd went wild with cheers when Plain White T’s quite literally popped out on the stage.  Their highly energetic aura filled the room.  Though the show was anything but boring, truthfully, I was confused that the crowd stayed seated.  This was my first time seeing Plain White T’s, so I am not sure if this is a standard practice, or simply because it was in a theatre.  

Tom was very interactive with the crowd the whole time.  Toward the beginning of the set he made sure that everyone knew that they were going to hear the “Delilah song.”  He was quite comedic and he was radiating positive energy.  He spotted a girl in the front section wearing a t-shirt that said, “I’m Delilah.”  Turns out she was named after the song.  Tom told a story about how when the song was released they had joked about how many babies would be named Delilah.  So he said, “Here she is. Delilah!”  The crowd loved it.  Cheers and laughter filled the air.  

He played a game with the audience to see which side of the crowd could get hyped up more.  It was Tim’s side (left stage on guitar) versus Mike’s side (right stage on bass).  Tim’s side very obviously took the win.  Delilah, however, was very loud and enthusiastic with her cheers.  Tom said to her, “You carried the weight over here on Mike’s side!”  

Somehow, the topic of drinking came up and he asked, “Do they even serve alcohol here?”  The crowd held up drinks. He asked an audience member what her favorite drink was.  She shouted, “Jack and Crown!”  Tom giggled and said, “Like with coke? Maybe a Diet Coke?  Or, like just the two of them together?  We need to hang out!” 

About halfway into the set, some people came in late to the front section and Tom jokingly called them out, “Nice of you to join us! What took you so long?!”  Apparently she had to put on her makeup and it was her birthday.  He asked her how old she was and she said that she was 22.  A short time later he noticed someone wearing a plain white t-shirt and she held up her Plain White T’s t-shirt to show and then put the Plain White T’s t-shirt over the plain white t-shirt.  That’s a tongue twister.  

When it was time for Tim to take the spotlight to sing “The Giving Tree,” he made sure to crack a joke about “Jack and Crown” and mentioned how the song was about him getting over someone that just kept taking and taking.  He elaborated that many “Jack and Crowns” were involved in the process.  The good news is he has finally moved on and is feeling much better.  

A girl in the front section shouted out that she took ballet lessons and danced on the stage they were performing on when she was a child.  Tom said, “Oh should we have you up here on stage doing some ballet dancing?!”  He then said, “Well just pretend during this song that there is a ballerina dancing behind us on stage, very poetic like.”  

He also mentioned that they would be in another city of Indiana the next night.  The crowd shouted, “where?!”  He said it was Jasper, IN. The crowd let out a loud, “Boo!”  Tom said, “What, does Wabash have some beef with Jasper?”  At one point of the show he also mentioned, “This has been the best 2nd show of the year ever.”  

It was nearing the end of the setlist and of course they finished off making sure to play “Rhythm of love” and “Hey there, Delilah.”  During “Hey there, Delilah” he had the audience all sing the last chorus together. I am happy to report that the crowd did eventually all stand up for the hits.  

Overall, it was a great night of live music and always so fun seeing the bands I grew up listening to.  Tom sounds just as great live as he does on the albums!  Tim has an incredible voice as well.  I’ll definitely go see them again in the future.  They are going on tour with Yellowcard and New Found Glory on the “The up up down tour”.  I had the pleasure of seeing New Found Glory last summer and they were great!  It will be a tour you don’t want to miss.  

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