Barry Manilow’s mic was cut off mid-song during a packed-out outdoor performance at New York City’s Central Park. Manilow was interrupted mid-concert and the rest of the Homecoming festival was abruptly halted due to the imminent landfall of Hurricane Henri. Dramatic footage of the incident shows a severe weather warning cut off Manilow, as concert-goers are urged to evacuate the area.
An eerie warning message was played out to panicked attendees, urging them to “proceed to your vehicles and protected areas outside of the event centre”.
The weather warning cut off Manilow, who was singing his hit song “Can’t Smile Without You”.
One attendee tweeted: “Barry Manilow muted then yanked offstage at NYC‘s Homecoming Concert (for vaccinated people) as it’s cancelled mid-song over a severe weather warning.”
New York City police said: “Due to approaching severe weather, all those attending the event are to calmly move to the nearest exits.”
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New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio initially expressed hope that the show would go on, telling people: “We need everyone for a brief period of time to move to someplace safe because of thunder and lightning, and then we will bring the concert back.”
However, the rest of the concert was later cancelled as the city prepares for the hurricane.
The massive concert had brought together some 60,000 people in a celebration of the city’s return to hosting large live events following the pandemic.
A line-up of artists included Bruce Springsteen, Patti Smith and Paul Simon were on the bill.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo declared a state of emergency for Long Island and New York City, pleading with residents: “Please take this storm seriously.”
Federal Emergency Management Agency administrator Deanne Criswell said: “We need to take this storm very seriously.
“Even if it doesn’t make landfall as a hurricane, the tropical force winds and the storm surge can cause significant damage.
“We’re going to see power outages, we’re going to see downed trees, and even after the storm has passed, the threat of falling trees and limbs is still out there.”