Sophia Michaels
Dave Grohl and songwriter/producer Greg Kurstin lit some candles and marked the first night of Hanukkah with the return of their “Hanukkah Sessions” series, tapping filmmaker Judd Apatow to belt the big opening number.
Grohl and Kurstin started the “Hanukkah Sessions” back in 2020 with the aim of covering a song by a Jewish artist for each night of the Festival of Lights. With the pandemic, this endeavor was largely confined to the studio, but for 2022 Grohl and Kurstin made a show of it, recording everything live at Largo in Los Angeles earlier this month with a slew of special guests.
To mark night one (which was yesterday, Dec. 18), Grohl and Kurstin shared a rendition of Blood, Sweat and Tears’ 1968 tune, “Spinning Wheel,” with Apatow on vocals. (For those wondering, it’s Blood, Sweat and Tears founding guitarist/singer Steve Katz that provides the Jewish connection.) Before launching into his full-throated performance, Apatow explained that the song meant a lot to him because Jeffrey Tambor’s character Hank Kingsley performed it on The Larry Sanders Show, on which Apatow was a writer.
The cover was uploaded with a throwback-style video, offering fans the opportunity to marvel at Apatow’s solid singing and dance moves. At the end of the performance, the director quipped, “Dave, I know you do five-hour concerts, but that’s all I could do. I need a month off.”
Grohl and Kurstin will, of course, be rolling out more covers over the next seven nights. According to a Variety report from the Largo show, other guests include Pink, Beck, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ Karen O, Jack Black, and even a special appearance from Grohl’s daughter Violet.
