Barbra Streisand joyously returned to her native Brooklyn this week with a performance at the new Barclays Center arena—and surprised the audience with a duet with her 45-year-old son, Jason Gould. From Whitney Houston getting a little help from Bobbi Kristina to Beck’s 8-year-old boy and his killer dance moves, see what happens when musicians’ kids crash the stage.
Barbra Streisand and Jason Gould
Barbra Streisand’s performance at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn on Thursday night—her first ever in her hometown—was emotional for a lot of reasons, not the least of which was the appearance of her 45-year-old son, Jason Gould, on stage. Gould showed off a set of pipes almost as impressive as his mama’s when the mother-son pair launched into a performance of “This Masquerade” and “How Deep Is the Ocean?” together. (An earlier version of the latter is seen above.)
Willie and Lukas Nelson
Whereas Willie Nelson’s daughter Paula occasionally takes to ninja-kicking drunk dudes off her stage, her brother Lukas makes for a mean duet partner for Willie. At this performance in 2010 at Willie’s Place in Carl’s Corner, Texas, Lukas is the star, yowling his way through “Texas Flood” with a blues force reminiscent of his dad, who stands in the shadows and accompanies his son on guitar.
Lauryn Hill and Joshua Marley
With Bob Marley for a grandfather and Lauryn Hill for a mom, it’s hardly a shocker that Joshua Marley has a flair for the stage. During a Honolulu stop on her Moving Target tour, Lauryn Hill and four of her five kids hit the stage where, after allowing his youngest sister, Sarah, to duet the chorus of “To Zion” with his mom, 9-year-old Joshua saw and seized his chance for stardom. “I wanna rap,” he declared into the microphone his mother handed him, and proceeded to blaze through a verse of “Teach Me How to Dougie”—even banging out the dance at the end.
Bruce and Jessica Springsteen
During a July tour stop in Paris this year, Bruce Springsteen pulled a half-embarrassed, half-amused Jessica Springsteen on stage with him for a father-daughter dance in front of 10,000 fans. The 20-year-old gamely twirled and danced with her dad during a rendition of his song, “Dancing in the Dark,” then found herself scooped up into his arms, awkwardly transported a few feet, and finally allowed to rejoin the rest of her family in the seats below.
Beck and Cosimo
Unlike Jessica Springsteen, Beck’s 8-year-old son, Cosimo, needed no invitation to come on stage and show off some killer dance moves. During this performance of Beck’s hit “E-Pro” in May at the Santa Barbara Bowl in California, all looked normal until a flurry of hyperdynamic activity from somewhere behind a guitarist started stealthily creeping toward the center of the stage. Turns out the Thom Yorke–style spasming, shimmying, and occasionally break-dancing blond ball of energy was Cosimo, who gleefully rocked on for the remainder of the set.
Madonna and Rocco
Though not quite at a Cosimo level of dance improv, Madonna’s 11-year-old son, Rocco, took center stage in July during the finale of his mom’s gig in Hyde Park, London, upstaging swarms of professional backup dancers with moves as smooth and well rehearsed as his mom’s. He even manages an impressive twist-flip over a giant block to strike a final pose.
Lionel Richie and Joel Madden
Okay, so they’re not blood-related, but Joel Madden and his father-in-law of two years, Lionel Richie, made an impressive duo during their performance on The Voice in Australia, rendering a silky-smooth version of Richie’s old Commodores song “Easy.”
Whitney Houston and Bobbi Kristina
Before her debut as a reality-TV star, Bobbi Kristina Brown took the stage in Poland alongside her glamorous mom to lend some adorable backing vocals for her song “My Love Is Your Love.” It takes her a few minutes to warm up to the mike, but her shy dancing and squeaked request for the audience to “Clap your hands!” are worth the wait.