Kevin James reunites with 'best friend' Adam Sandler at Madison Square Garden show

When Adam Sandler brought his "You’re My Best Friend Tour" to Madison Square Garden on Monday night, he got a little help from his friends.

In addition to opening sets from his former "Saturday Night Live" buddy Rob Schneider, current "SNL" cast member Sara Sherman and local stand-up Joe Vecsey, the Sandman had a special mid-show segment with Long Island’s own Kevin James. Sandler was joking around with members of the crowd when he paused and said, "I think I recognized someone out there."

The spotlight was cast on the center of the orchestra, where "The King of Queens" himself was hiding behind a woman’s large hairdo. When the light hit his face and he appeared on-screen, the crowd exploded but James’ bottom lip started to quiver.

A concerned Sandler asked, "Why are you so sad?"

James stood up and acted overly emotional.

"It’s just that ... it’s called ‘You’re My Best Friend Tour’ and you’re ... my best friend," he said.

Sandler replied, "All these people are my best friends. I believe that but ... you’re my special. You know that, buddy. You don’t know what I feel about you, bro?"

After a waterfall of tears and fake gagging, a choked-up James uttered, "I love you so much. I just haven’t seen you in a while."

Playing along, Sandler responded, "That doesn’t mean I’m not thinking about you."

The two middle-aged men then burst into a duet of "Endless Love." KJ sang the Diana Ross part in falsetto and ran onstage to join his friend. They ended the song with a snippet of "Don’t Go Breaking My Heart" followed by a hug.

Sandler and James have shared the big screen in several films, including "I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry" (2007), "Grown Ups" (2010), "Grown Ups 2" (2013) and "Pixels" (2015).

By David J. Criblez

david.criblez@newsday.comDavidJCriblez

David J. Criblez is a reporter for Newsday's exploreLI, covering entertainment-related events from local music to stand-up comedy to festivals.