Guitarist turns highway traffic jam into live concert

A massive traffic jam on the E17 highway near Lokeren, caused by a truck accident, was transformed into an unexpected live music event by singer Geert van Hoof from Pelt. As frustrated drivers faced hours of standstill, Van Hoof decided to lift spirits by performing an impromptu concert.

The accident occurred Thursday evening, just as traffic was building up from the Gentse Feesten. A truck suffered a blowout, lost control, and completely blocked the highway, leaving many drivers stranded for nearly three hours. Among them was Van Hoof, returning from his own performance at the Gentse Feesten.

As a former police officer, Van Hoof's initial reaction was concern for the situation. "I wasn't reassured until I heard on the radio that the truck driver was okay," he explained. "Only then did I think, 'Okay, now I can do it.' Otherwise, I wouldn't have wanted to."

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I wasn't reassured until I heard on the radio that the truck driver was okay. Only then did I think, 'Okay, now I can do it.' Otherwise, I wouldn't have wanted to.

Once it was clear there were no serious injuries, he retrieved his guitar from the trunk, which he still had from his earlier gig. Sitting on the edge of his car's trunk, Van Hoof played a series of well-known singalong songs, including "That's All Right" and "Baila Baila," even getting help from his grandson on the latter. His goal was simple: to break the tension often found in traffic jams and turn a negative situation into a positive one. "What else do you do when you're stuck in traffic for hours?" he mused.

Van Hoof's spontaneous concert quickly gained attention, with videos of the "singing policeman" going viral and appearing in various media outlets. While already known in his local region, his popularity is now rapidly expanding, with a flood of new performance requests coming in from across the country.

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I wanted to turn something negative into something positive. What else do you do when you're stuck in traffic for hours?