Is there anything sweeter than a parent connecting with their children over modern music? It’s one thing when an adult teaches a kid about, say, Tom Petty, but when the shared experience goes the other way, it’s even more touching. Which makes watching Adam Sandler covering Taylor Swift’s “Lover” with his two daughters just about the purest thing you’ll see today.
Turns out the Sandler clan are big Swifties. After the premiere of Sandler’s latest film, Uncut Gems, at the New York Film Festival on Thursday, the comedian took his daughters — 10-year-old Sunny and 13-year-old Sadie — to watch Swift perform on Saturday Night Live. The pop star sang “Lover”, a Sandler family favorite, and watching her perform it live must have inspired the young girls. The very next night, they were singing it alongside their famous father at an A-list fundraising event in Malibu (via The Hollywood Reporter).
The Rock4EB! fundraiser, which raised money to fight a little known disease called epidermolysis bullosa, was headlined by Sandler and Pearl Jam singer Eddie Vedder. Near the end of his closing set, Sandler welcomed out his daughters to sing with him. “They’ve been so excited and nervous, but they’re gonna sing a song,” he said as they took the stage, later joking, “Your knees are shaking, right? How do you think I feel? Every goddamn night I do this shit.”
(Buy: Tickets to Taylor Swift’s Upcoming Shows)
With Sandler strumming on guitar, the girls sang a slightly altered version of Swift’s “Lover”, changing the opening line to “Hanukkah lights” instead of “Christmas lights.” The performance drew a standing ovation from the crowd, which included megastars like Julia Roberts, Sean Penn, Rami Malek, Elizabeth Olsen, David Spade, Catherine Keener, and Kim Basinger. Watch footage of it all below.
There are many, many highlights I recorded from tonight’s #Rock4EB but this one is pretty special. @AdamSandler handling guitar duties while his daughters Sunny & Sadie sing @taylorswift13 “Lover” in front of Julia Roberts, Sean Penn, etc. They’re major Swifties, and so good too pic.twitter.com/Z589j4tDBJ
— Chris Gardner (@chrissgardner) October 7, 2019
Also, come on this is pretty great, too. @AdamSandler welcomes his daughters to the stage, admits they’re excited and nervous to cover @taylorswift13 esp after hearing their dad’s prior performances with some dirty words. “Did you hear daddy curse? I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” #Rock4EB pic.twitter.com/MtKBKMF4Z3
Advertisement— Chris Gardner (@chrissgardner) October 7, 2019
Elsewhere during his set, Sandler welcomed out his fellow headliner Vedder to sing Pete Townshend’s “Let My Love Open the Door”. According to THR, Judd Apatow was also part of the performance, though he appears to be obscured by a pillar in the clip below.
Another big moment from #Rock4EB: @AdamSandler @JuddApatow and Eddie Vedder performing “Let My Love Open the Door,” a classic Pete Townshend song covered by Vedder and Pearl Jam back in 1995. This space is also open for anyone who wants to talk about how great the vocals are 🔥 pic.twitter.com/7xdAlpxZQb
— Chris Gardner (@chrissgardner) October 7, 2019
Had an incredible night with these two guys at the Rock4EB charity event. Thank you to the Epidermolysis Bullosa Medical Research Center for having us. Unforgettable night. #Rock4EB pic.twitter.com/sqVcfA9PY8
Advertisement— Adam Sandler (@AdamSandler) October 7, 2019