WATCH: Philip Labes' Hurricane Concert Lifts New Yorkers' Spirits

NEW YORK CITY — For Arayna Chan, August 21 was going to be a special night. A longtime Jason Mraz fan, she drove to Pier 17 in the South Street Seaport from her home on Long Island to see what was going to be her first live concert since the pandemic changed pretty much everything.

Then, Hurricane Henri arrived. It dumped so much water on the city that a record was set for the most rainfall in an hour.

After Sister Carol, Mraz's first opening act, performed the wind, rain and lightning sent fans down from the pier to shelter in an industrial space below the venue. It looked like Chan’s hopes for the night were going to be washed away.

That’s when Philip Labes arrived to greet the fans. Labes, an LA musician with a large TikTok following who was supposed to open for Mraz, had an acoustic guitar strapped to his back. He started performing, giving Chan what she said was “such a joyful experience.”

“There's nothing like being in New York City because everyone is so adaptable, and it was nice to just be around other people who wanted the same experience and wanted to just brighten the mood,” Chan said. “Everyone was smiling, everyone was clapping along, and it was great.”

Chan first discovered Labes's music on TikTok, which she said she was "instantly drawn to" because he reminded her of Mraz. When she learned Labes would join Mraz on tour, she knew she couldn't miss the show.

"I was super stoked to go see this, like obviously for Jason, but then when I found out Phillip was opening, I was like, 'Oh my God, that's amazing.' Like what are the odds?" Chan said.

While he didn’t get to open for Mraz that night, Labes was happy to entertain the crowd off-stage. Growing up, he used to perform on the streets along the Santa Monica Pier and Third Street Promenade in LA. “So it wasn't out of the realm of possibility to just go play for people out, like, in the street,” he said.

“I just felt really down that all these people who had, you know, gotten a babysitter, or chosen not to go see a movie or chosen not to hang out with their friends at home, that, you know, everyone had had an opportunity cost, by coming out that night,” Labes said.

“And I imagine that they felt kind of bummed to just be stuck in this waiting area. So I just decided to go see if anybody would want to hear me play anyways.”

As Labes continued his 4-song set, he encouraged the audience to sing along with him. When he performed “A TV Show Called Earth,” the crowd joined him in the chorus. In his final song, “In My Apartment,” fans chimed in every time the title lyrics came back around.

“The only promise of live music or live entertainment is that you will get to share a communal feeling. And that feeling—oh my gosh—has been desperately missing for all of us,” Labes said.

After the show, Labes stayed behind to meet some of his fans, including Chan. He also met a woman who had flown to New York from Utah just to see him perform after frequenting his TikTok live shows online. But instead of signing autographs, Labes had his fans write messages to him on his clothes.

“It was really fun. There were so many people, especially young people, who wanted to leave their mark on the outfit to send it to the next city,” Labes said.

Now Labes is done with the tour and back in LA, his previously white tour shirt almost entirely marked up from rainbow markers. He announced his next project on TikTok: to write 30 new songs in September. He encouraged his followers to join him and tag him in their creations.

“I'm going to keep writing, keep sharing music and keep trying to connect with people,” Labes said. “That's all I can do.”

As for Chan, she’s eager to see Labes again next time he comes to town. “Philip fits right in in New York,” she said. “This is just how New Yorkers are. Like, we went out after the concert and walked down the block and there was a DJ outside and everyone was just dancing in the rain. This is what we do with a hurricane. We just sit outside and we dance and we listen to music. And it was great.”

You can find Labes and his music here.