Hong Kong singer Hacken Lee was nearly 2 hours late to a concert in Baotou, Inner Mongolia, due to extreme weather and transportation issues. In a moment of urgency, the organizers urgently invited local grassroots singer Hou Lang, who was originally a member of the audience, to take the stage. Despite having no rehearsal and lyrics prompter, Hou Lang managed to perform nearly 20 songs in a row, holding the stage for 2 hours and captivating the 30,000-strong audience, sparking discussions and praises.
According to reports from Hong Kong media, Hacken Lee was scheduled to be the finale guest at the concert, set to appear around 10 p.m. on September 26. However, his journey that day was filled with multiple setbacks. Setting off from Hong Kong at 6 a.m., he was supposed to fly to Hohhot via Xuzhou. Unfortunately, the destination was hit by a hailstorm, forcing his flight to emergency land in Taiyuan, Shanxi at 5 p.m. Subsequently, the organizers arranged for an all-electric business car to pick him up, but it broke down halfway due to running out of battery. Ultimately, Hacken Lee and his team had to urgently switch to a taxi, traveling nearly 600 kilometers.
With five singers performing before Hacken Lee arrived, the venue was faced with an awkward and cold atmosphere as he failed to make it on time. The organizers swiftly turned to 34-year-old grassroots singer Hou Lang, who was among the audience members, to salvage the situation.
Without any preparation, Hou Lang communicated with the backstage staff through earpiece instructions – nodding for songs he knew and shaking his head for unfamiliar ones. He went on to passionately sing nearly 20 classic songs from artists like Beyond and Richie Jen.
Initially, there were murmurs among the audience as many had come specifically to see Hacken Lee and were taken aback by the unfamiliar face on stage. Hou Lang promptly addressed the situation, explaining that he was filling in last minute and that Hacken Lee would arrive shortly, urging the audience to enjoy a few songs before his arrival. With no planned stage interaction or flashy performances, he sang one song after another in his usual style, steadily captivating the entire audience.
Hacken Lee finally arrived at the venue at 12:30 a.m. the next day. Reports mentioned that to save time, he went without food or water the entire day, hadn’t used the restroom since 5 p.m., and even completed his stage makeup in the back seat of a taxi.
Upon taking the stage, Hacken Lee bowed and apologized nine times in a row, adding two more songs to his original setlist as a gesture to his fans. Backstage, he shared a warm embrace with Hou Lang, the hero of the night, and expressed his heartfelt gratitude.
Hou Lang gained overnight fame for his unexpected performance, quickly attracting a surge in fans. However, as he sang nearly 20 songs without prior authorization or notification, reports from “NetEase News” mention that the event organizers have been actively working to coordinate with music licensing authorities to fulfill the necessary procedures and address any subsequent issues.
When asked about his experience of stepping in to help a star, Hou Lang mentioned feeling overwhelmed by the sea of faces from the stage, trying to stay focused on not forgetting lyrics and staying in tune throughout the entire performance.