WHAT THEY SAID
"We're not in any massive rush but we want to play some shows next year" *, Jeff Ament told Under the Radar in an interview tied to his new photo book Since Forever. Pearl Jam still have no permanent drummer after Matt Cameron's 2025 exit, and Ament, 63, says he feels urgency to get back out while the band is physically able *, †, ‡.
THE DETAILS
- Cameron announced his departure in July 2025 after 27 years, the longest drummer tenure in the band's history ‡.
- Abe Laboriel Jr., Paul McCartney's drummer, filled in at Pearl Jam's two Ohana Festival sets in September, their first shows since Cameron left *, ‡.
- Vedder introduced him as helping out that night, and the band's follow-up statement called it sitting in, so a lot of people who assumed he had joined read it wrong †, ‡.
- Ament called Laboriel "such an incredible drummer" * but confirmed auditions continue.
- Ament tied Cameron's wind-down to Chris Cornell's death hitting him especially hard *, †, ‡.
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT
Pearl Jam have zero dates booked, so the open question is whether a permanent drummer lands in time for the 2027 shows Ament wants *, ‡.