Pearl Jam made a shock look throughout frontman Eddie Vedder’s billed solo set final night time (Sept. 25) at his Ohana pageant in Dana Level, Ca., throughout which the band launched longtime Paul McCartney drummer Abe Laboriel Jr. behind the package.
Vedder performed 5 songs acoustic to start the proceedings, together with a tearful tribute to his pricey good friend, the late Glen Hansard, plus a canopy of the Who’s “I’m One” with Billy Idol. However after he strapped on an electrical guitar and started strumming “Corduroy,” everything of Pearl Jam then emerged onstage, together with Laboriel, whose kick drum head was cleverly adorned with a big query mark.
Pearl Jam’s drum seat was vacated in July 2025 by Matt Cameron after a 27-year run. Laboriel’s look tonight got here with a catch: as but, he hasn’t been publicly named as Cameron’s everlasting substitute, but it surely’s anticipated he might be again on drums when Pearl Jam performs Ohana once more on Sunday.
The 16-song set was not solely a pleasant bait and change however a crowd-pleasing mix of outdated favorites corresponding to “Even Circulate.” “Hail Hail,” “Higher Man” and “Porch,” a number of songs from the 2024 album Darkish Matter, a canopy of Lifeless Boys’ “Sonic Reducer” in honor of their just lately deceased guitarist Cheetah Chrome and a show-closing spin via the Who’s “Baba O’Riley.”
The deepest minimize was “Inexperienced Illness,” a track from 2002’s Riot Act that was performed for simply the seventh time prior to now 15 years. It was preceded by a speech from Vedder concerning the imprisonment and eventual launch of environmentalist Capt. Paul Watson, who was in attendance on the pageant.
“I’m feeling fairly damned good myself,” Vedder instructed the group at one level. “And I do imagine I’m talking on behalf of the band and the crew, and we’re excited to be on the stage collectively as soon as once more. Thanks for giving us such an ideal wave to surf. We’ve nonetheless bought time to get barreled.”
When Pearl Jam performed the ultimate reveals of its tour in assist of the album Darkish Matter in Pittsburgh on Might 16 and 18, 2025, no person within the area (and even many crew members) knew that they’d represent Cameron’s final reveals with the band. Since his announcement two months later that he was amicably stepping away to work on different initiatives, hypothesis has been rampant about Pearl Jam’s subsequent transfer behind the drums. In a Might interview with SiriusXM’s Pearl Jam Radio, guitarist Stone Gossard mentioned the band wouldn’t be revealing the Ohana drummer prematurely, within the curiosity of preserving some factor of shock.
“There’s not sufficient thriller on this planet,” he mentioned. “I believe the band may be very excited that we’re truly attending to play. It’s been some time and the truth that we get to do it at Ohana makes it even doubly thrilling. And the truth that no person is aware of who’s going to play drums with us even makes it triply thrilling. So, it’s our thriller wrapped in an enigma and we’re relishing in it proper now.”
Boston native Laboriel Jr., 55, has anchored the drum package behind McCartney constantly since 2001 however has additionally often toured or carried out with different artists throughout downtime with the Beatles nice, together with Sting and, as a part of a joint 2009 tour, Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood. The son of legendary session bassist Abe Laboriel, he first entered the broader Pearl Jam orbit in 2022 when he performed on the Elton John-featuring observe “Image” from Vedder’s solo album Earthling.
As for hypothesis that his intersection with Pearl Jam might imply McCartney, 84, is winding down his personal touring profession, sources say he isn’t going anyplace and is the truth is sketching out his live performance schedule for 2027.
The Ohana set additionally constitutes Pearl Jam’s first present with out Cameron since Jack Irons’ ultimate efficiency with the band on March 20, 1998, in Perth, Australia. Cameron changed him two months later simply earlier than the beginning of a summer season North American tour and was a key contributor on stage and on seven studio albums till his personal departure.
The opening day of the tenth anniversary version of the pageant additionally featured performances from Bob Mould and the reunited Sugar, Courtney Barnett, Japanese rock band Otoboke Beaver, Mexican rock royalty Mana, Southern California punk lifers Unhealthy Faith and the 70-year-old Idol, who was in fantastic voice on ’80s throwbacks “Insurgent Yell” and “White Marriage ceremony” that additionally showcased longtime guitarist Steve Stevens.
