It’s safe to say that Pearl Jam has a ‘thing’ when it comes to drummers. The band has famously seen a succession of stars take the stool, with even Matt Cameron – a man who has been able to retain the seat for the past 27 years – calling it quits earlier this week.
And it’s clear that fans have one man in the frame to fill the vacancy and resume his role with the band – a man who has also just taken to social media to spell out precisely why that is never going to happen.
Ex-Pearl Jam drummer Dave Abbruzzese just wrote on Facebook: “The fact that I haven’t had any personal contact with any of them leads me to believe the water under the bridge runs too deep and too icy for there to be any reconnection or reconciliation. This is a shame and saddens me, greatly.”
But, after slamming the door with: “I do ask that you please stop sending me messages asking and telling me to contact their management,” Abbruzzese leaves it open just a chink with: “I wish Pearl Jam and its organization continued success and I do hope that there will come a day that we can again connect on some level.
“All that being said, I appreciate and understand your desire to see what could come out of that reunion musically. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t curious, also.”
So what gives?
Throughout their career Pearl Jam have provided a home to five drummers (Cameron included) with Cameron’s stint outlasting his previous four forebears combined. Those drummers are:
• Dave Krusen (October 1990 to May 1991 plus guest appearances in 2017 and 2022)
• Matt Chamberlain (July 1991 to Aug 1991)
• Dave Abbruzzese (August 1991 to August 1994)
• Jack Irons (October 1994 to April 1998 plus guest appearances in 2003 and 2017)
• Matt Cameron (May 1998 to July 2025)
Looking at the numbers it’s easy to see Cameron’s dominance and it seems that following his surprise and entirely upbeat and amicable departure, it looks like there’s only one PJ drummer that fans want back in the hotseat.
Paging Mr Abbruzzese…
Dave Abbruzzese was the band’s drummer during their ascension to fame and he’s the man the fans want back, despite his tenure perhaps being the most fractious of all.
Following the departure of the short-lived Matt Chamberlain, newbie Abbruzzese (whose appointment came via a recommendation from the departing Chamberlain) was behind the kit for the band’s legendary Vs and Vitalogy sessions.
However, as the band ceaselessly toured and promoted their cross-over success Abbruzzese’s role alongside the group’s established core grew more and more tenuous.
“For reasons that I don’t completely understand, the other members decided to fire me in order to pursue a philosophy which they perceive as incompatible with mine,” Abbruzzese announced following his sacking after three years of service. “I was not involved in their decision, but I accept it and am proud to have been a part of what Pearl Jam was.”
And when the group were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2017, the band opted to call in original drummer Dave Krusen and long-serving Matt Cameron to appear as part of their line-up, rather than recognise the arguably more upfront presence provided by Abbruzzese.
It’s worth pointing out that Krusen crucially returned to the role as late 2022, standing in for Cameron after he had been benched due to Covid.
And his RnR snubbing was a move that Abbruzzese didn’t take lightly: “I am personally at a loss for words for how Stone, Mike, Jeff, Matt, Edward and [manager] Kelly Curtis are accepting of such an injustice.” Abbruzzese wrote on Facebook at the time, calling for them to right their wrong.
“The members of Pearl Jam have got to know what’s the right thing to do,” he insisted. “They can’t justify ignoring my contributions. Like me or not. If there is still a part of that band that remembers how hard we worked, how much blood and how much sweat … They will do the right thing.”
The band failed to do any such thing, a fact that has no doubt has significant bearing on Abbruzzese’s currently salty stance regarding a reappointment in 2025.
“Due to the announcement of the mighty Matt Cameron choosing to step down from the Pearl Jam throne he has had for the past 27 years, I thought I would take the opportunity to share some recent and past works with all of you that have bombarded my Facebook & Instagram pages with literally 1000’s of posts, messages and emails, hoping I would call Pearl Jam and attempt to reconcile with them.
“To be clear, I have nothing to reconcile with them about,” he writes a new lengthy Facebook missive.
Rearviewmirror
“My firing from the band and the subsequent trials and tribulations caused by the actions of the band’s management and the band’s old label that made things challenging for me weren’t completely my doing. With the exceptions of some petty comments and actions that I never quite understood or expected, I have never placed blame and harbored resentments towards the members of the band.
“I know I could and would have much to contribute if indeed the call came, but sadly, I don’t see that happening,” Abbruzzese concludes before rinsing an impressive list of projects that he has undertaken following his Pearl Jam demise, should anyone be in doubt as to his ongoing success.
“Plus add to that the personal aspects of my life, blessed with a beautiful and talented daughter… Overcoming substance abuse, embracing insanity and coming out on the other side, working in the field of recovery, legal issues, a failed marriage… Needless to say, music is still very important and a continued passion without any doubt. My drumming and passion for giving it my all is still as powerful as ever,” he concludes.
It looks like the door to Pearl Jam’s drum locker is locked on both sides but, given Abbruzzese’s obvious curiosity, perhaps hell might freeze over yet?
