Former Pearl Jam drummer rules out return to band amid Matt Cameron’s exit
Dave Abbruzzese, the former Pearl Jam drummer, has responded to speculation as to whether he will rejoin the band after Matt Cameron’s recent exit.
Cameron stepped down from the beloved band via a joint statement with his fellow musicians on X on July 7th, in which Cameron first said: “After 27 fantastic years, I have taken my final steps down the drum riser for the mighty Pearl Jam. Much love and respect to Jeff, Ed, Mike and Stone for inviting me into the band in 1998 and for giving me the opportunity of a lifetime, filled with friendships, artistry, challenges and laughter.”
Abbruzzese played in the band before Cameron between 1991 and 1995, during their most prolific era. He appeared on records such as 1993’s Vs and 1994’s Vitalogy. However, in 1995, he left the band, stating, “The other members decided to fire me in order to pursue a philosophy which they perceive as incompatible with mine.”
The former drummer posted his thoughts on Facebook, writing: “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 added, “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.”
His introspective statement continued, “I have been blessed to have participated in some remarkable musical projects with remarkable people over the last 30 post Pearl Jam years. Although I never truly understood what was so important to destroy the musical chemistry we had back then, it is what it is, and I can’t do anything about it. At least nothing that I can figure out. The years since 1995 have served me well towards growing as a person and a player.”
Abbruzzese then reveals that he is barely in contact with Pearl Jam now, which leads him to conclude that they remain too far apart to collaborate again. He wrote, “It seems the guys in the band matured and grew up as much as I did, but 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. I know I could and would have much to contribute if indeed the call came, but sadly, I don’t see that happening.”
He concluded with the admission, “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 do ask that you please stop sending me messages asking & telling me to contact their management. 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.”
It is still to be seen who will replace Cameron behind the all-important drum kit. The band’s most recent album, Dark Matter, was released last year.
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