“It’s very Spinal Tap of us to have this many drummers”: With Matt Cameron now added to the list, here’s a reminder of all the drummers Pearl Jam have had and lost…

There was a time when Pearl Jam switching up the man behind the kit was a regular occurrence. You got used to it as a Pearl Jam fan - it’s just what they did every year or so, you even thought that they were getting through the world’s population so rapidly that maybe one day you’d get a go. But the addition of Matt Cameron in 1998 changed all that. Cameron isn’t just a powerhouse super-player as a drummer, although he is that, but he also brought a reassuring calm to Pearl Jam. There was a sense this was the line-up that was always meant to be – after all, Cameron had played drums on the group’s very first demo, the instrumental set of songs that included formative versions of Once, Footsteps, Black, Alive, Breath, Even Flow, Animal and Alone that found their way to Eddie Vedder.

It was a bit of a shock, then, when the former Soundgarden man announced recently that he was leaving the group. “After 27 fantastic years, I have taken my final steps down the drum riser for the might Pearl Jam,” Cameron said in a statement. “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.”

“I am forever grateful to the crew, staff and fans the world over," he continued, "It’s been an incredible journey. More to follow. I thank you all from the bottom of my heart. Peace and love.”

The “more to follow” alludes to Cameron’s next move – it would certainly be a turn up for the books if he was in line to fill the vacant slot on the drums in Foo Fighters. But that seems unlikely. Even if he clarified this week that he was not retiring, it’s hard to see the 62-year-old leaving one rock titan just to join another. It's more likely he wants to continue making music but just not on a scale that demands a full world tour every few years (it’s a different scenario for former Foos drummer Josh Freese, though – he must fancy his chances as the next PJ sticksman). And so, then, for the first time in almost three decades, it’s time to add another name to the list of Former Pearl Jam Drummers. You join a hardy bunch, Matt Cameron. Here they are...

Dave Krusen (1990-1991)

The band’s first drummer was a much-admired local veteran and there for the first rehearsals with Vedder, when the band embarked on a magical seven-day inauguration during which most of Ten came together, right through to the recording of their era-defining debut album. But Krusen was in the grips of alcohol addiction and, three months before the release of the record, left the band to go to rehab. Putting a happier end on the story, Krusen joined the band for their induction to the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2017 and played a number of Ten cuts with them at a show in Fresno, California in 2022 when Matt Cameron was sidelined with Covid.

Brad Wilk (1991)

Not that he was an official member at any point, but given his credentials it’s worth a mention. Future Rage Against The Machine drummer Wilk was a friend of Vedder’s and looking for a band in 1991 – Pearl Jam flew him over to England, where they were mixing Ten, but it wasn’t the right pairing. “It was cool but it didn’t mesh,” said Mike McCready. “He was a really heavy drummer, as you know from Rage Against The Machine.” Luckily for Wilk, his perfect band was right round the corner.

Matt Chamberlain (1991)

Instead, the band recruited former Edie Brickell & The New Bohemians man Matt Chamberlain, who joined them on their first tour and appeared in the video for future smash hit Alive. It was a short-lived stint, though – Chamberlain wasn’t in the mood for joining a band long-term or hitting the road for long stretches, taking a job in the Saturday Night Live house band instead. Ironically enough, years later Chamberlain would fill in for Matt Cameron in Soundgarden because Cameron was on the road with Pearl Jam. Small world, this drummer lark. Before Chamberlain left Pearl Jam, he recommended a drummer he’d seen down in Dallas, by the name of…

Dave Abbruzzesse (1991-1994)

Exuberant Texas-raised drummer Abbruzzesse gave off the vibes he might be a too full on after a first date by marching down and getting Pearl Jam’s stick figure logo tattooed on his shoulder just two shows into his time with the band. But he stuck around for a bit, playing on their mega-selling second album before getting his marching orders over breakfast with Stone Gossard whilst they were recording third album Vitalogy. “The problem was he needed to fit in with a group of five very different, strong personalities and do it in a way that worked with those five personalities,” Gossard explained in the band opus Pearl Jam Twenty. “I’m sorry that it didn’t work out. I wish it had.” Which means: Jeff Ament and Eddie Vedder didn’t really like him.

Jack Irons (1994-1998)

Ex-Chili Peppers drummer Irons is an integral to the early Pearl Jam story as Matt Cameron – it was Irons who passed on that tape of instrumental demos to Eddie Vedder. Pearl Jam wouldn’t have existed without that connection. Irons had been in the mix for all of the previous drummer conversations but had been reluctant to join a band that had become so huge so quickly. But now he felt like it was time, and won the day in auditions that also included Richard Stuverud and Josh Freese. Irons was there for a moment of huge shapeshifting for the band and he was crucial to some of their more exploratory moments on 1996’s No Code and 1998’s Yield, as well as his rolling, expansive drumming style providing the rhythmic anchor for tracks such as In My Tree and Given To Fly. He left due to health issues. Irons had stopped taking medication for bipolar disorder but realised he wouldn’t be able to tour and departed in April 1998. The band were just weeks away from a US tour and needed a replacement fast…

Matt Cameron (1998-2025)

And so to the percussive dynamo who drummed Pearl Jam into the modern age. Cameron thought he was just filling in on the short-term when he joined the band in 1998 but it was a perfect match – he’s been a crucial part of the band ever since, co-writing some of the best songs they’ve released since, including The Fixer, Get Right and Save You more. “What’s he done for the group is unfathomable,” said Eddie Vedder in 2011. “Not just as a drummer but as a human, a musician, a songwriter.” “It came full circle with Matt,” added Mike McCready. “It’s very Spinal Tap of us to have this many drummers.” And now, the seat is empty again. It’s hard to imagine the next recruit – whether it’s Freese, or Josh Klinghoffer or Richard Stuverad, who have both stood-in on drum duties previously, or maybe the Chili Peppers’ Chad Smith, who has played on Vedder’s solo work – having as much as an impact. But Pearl Jam seem far from done, so we’ll find out one way or the other.