{"id":2089613,"date":"2025-10-14T06:24:51","date_gmt":"2025-10-14T06:24:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2089613"},"modified":"2025-10-14T06:24:51","modified_gmt":"2025-10-14T06:24:51","slug":"strangers-stop-to-cheer-on-musician-performing-at-empty-restaurant","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/strangers-stop-to-cheer-on-musician-performing-at-empty-restaurant\/","title":{"rendered":"Strangers stop to cheer on musician performing at empty restaurant"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

\n

A California woman\u2019s video of her group singing along with an entertainer performing at an empty New York City restaurant has gone viral.<\/p>\n

Mishelle Ferro shared her TikTok video<\/u><\/a> one week ago and it\u2019s already picked up nearly 7 million views.<\/p>\n

“Saw a man performing to an empty restaurant in NYC \u2026 So we \u2026 started cheering him up and singing along and then\u2026 [he] performed for us with his whole heart and soul,\u201d Ferro wrote on text overlaid on her video clip.<\/p>\n

\"Courtesy<\/span><\/div>\n

Courtesy of Mishelle Ferro – PHOTO: Mishelle Ferro shared a viral TikTok video of her and her family and friends singing along with Tom Riccobono, while he was performing at an empty restaurant in New York City on Oct. 4, 2025.<\/p>\n

The 27-year-old substitute teacher aide told ABC News she was on a trip to the Big Apple with her husband, sister, brother-in-law and a friend earlier this month when they stumbled on 63-year-old Tom Riccobono, singing and playing guitar at a restaurant in Times Square.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe’s singing towards the restaurant but the doors behind him are completely open and he was singing so passionately,\u201d Ferro told ABC News of the Oct. 4 encounter.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd then we realized that [from] what we can see, there was no one inside. Maybe there’s people further in but the tables near him — empty,\u201d Ferro continued. \u201cSo he was giving this passionate performance to no one.\u201d<\/p>\n

Strangers unite to sing ‘Happy Birthday’ to 8-year-old<\/a><\/p>\n

Riccobono, the veteran Times Square performer who stars in the video, said going viral has been a \u201csurreal feeling.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI got a lot going on but the meat and potatoes of who I am is what you saw in that video. That’s really what I do for my living,\u201d Riccobono told ABC News.<\/p>\n

Riccobono and Ferro\u2019s group were singing along to the late Avicii\u2019s 2013 hit song, \u201cWake Me Up,\u201d as revealed in another follow-up TikTok video post<\/u><\/a> from Ferro.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe enjoyed it so much, we must have been there, and all in all, maybe eight to 10 minutes. But in those eight to 10 minutes, we had a blast,\u201d said Ferro.<\/p>\n

Daddy-daughter duo become stars of viral karaoke series<\/a><\/p>\n

Riccobono, who plays the guitar, harmonica, ukulele, and piano, said their rousing singalong took place during a typical lull in the evening.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll those bars in Times Square, during the theater hour on a Saturday night, are going to be dead,\u201d he explained. \u201cWhat happens is at 10:15 [p.m.], the theaters get out, people start moving around, the place is full by 11, and that’s what happened that night.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Courtesy<\/span><\/div>\n

Courtesy of Tom Riccobono – PHOTO: Tom Riccobono is a longtime performer and stand-up comic who performs in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.<\/p>\n

Both Ferro and Riccobono said they\u2019re surprised by how much the video has struck a chord with social media users.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt just honestly makes me happy that this little video reached so many people and gave him more exposure,\u201d said Ferro.<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of exciting stuff, little stuff has happened along the way. But I’m 63 now, and, you know, magical stuff doesn’t happen like that,\u201d Riccobono added about going viral. \u201cI’m working my heart out no matter. But to get a little bit of love in this way, it’s too much.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Courtesy<\/span><\/div>\n

Courtesy of Mishelle Ferro – PHOTO: Mishelle Ferro with her family and friends during their New York City visit in October 2025.<\/p>\n

Ferro said she hopes her viral video can remind people to slow down and soak in the smaller moments in life.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe live such busy lives, but sometimes, just taking a moment and stop and look around, one little thing that you do that maybe I think, won’t mean much, can have a huge impact,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Riccobono, meanwhile, said he hopes to keep \u201crockin\u2019\u201d for another 15 to 20 years as he offered some hard-earned advice for young performers coming up.<\/p>\n

\u201cFocus on the act. You got to work on the act. And all that [other] stuff will come easily,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n