The 2000s was a wild time; Facebook was established, a global recession was about to kick off, and Adam Sandler was in his heyday of making ‘funny movies’. However, no matter how you feel about Sandler’s brand of comedy, the 2000s also marked the surprising collision of two of the best rock bands of the decade, Deftones and Incubus, with the Happy Gilmore star – giving us one of the most bizarre creative collaborations.
In a special event in the year 2000, Sandler joined the then frequent touring partners Incubus and Deftones on stage. Strumming an acoustic guitar alongside the bands, the trio performed a stripped-down version of Deftones’ 1997 hit single ‘Be Quiet And Drive (Far Away).’ While it isn’t strange to see Deftones and Incubus showing off their musical chops together, it certainly was odd to see the actor join their ranks.
Sandler wasn’t trying to branch out into the music industry before you ask. Instead, the whole stunt was done in order to promote his comedy movie, Little Nicky, which released the same year as the 2000s concert.
In the film we see the actor star as the titular character, Nicky, who also happens to be Satan’s son and up for the position of the next ruler of hell.
Deftones, Incubus and Adam Sandler perform "Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away)" [2000] pic.twitter.com/yLAAvxZbhL
— crazy ass moments in nu metal history (@numetal_moment) June 30, 2022
Little Nicky was a box office bomb when it first released, only grossing $58.3 million against an $80-85 million budget. However, despite being both a financial and critical failure, it did have a banging soundtrack.
Besides featuring Deftones and Incubus, the film also sported music from groups such as Linkin Park, Disturbed, and Powerman 5000. In short, Little Nicky’s score is the epitome of nu metal and late ‘90s/early-Aughts hard rock.
The clip of Sandler playing with the band, even as it showcases some strange intercuts to the film over the dreamy track, serves as a reminder of what is really the flick’s best point – the tunes.