Pearl Jam drummer Matt Cameron leaving band after 27 years

Jackson Weaver · CBC News

· Posted: Jul 07, 2025 5:56 PM EDT | Last Updated: July 7

After astir 3 decades, Pearl Jam's drummer Matt Cameron says helium is stepping down from the band.

"Much emotion and respect to Jeff [Ament], Ed [Vedder], Mike [McCready] and Stone [Gossard] for inviting maine into the set successful 1998 and for giving maine the accidental of a lifetime, filled with friendships, artistry, challenges and laughter," helium was quoted arsenic saying connected Pearl Jam's societal media pages.

"I americium everlastingly grateful to the crew, unit and fans the satellite over. It's been an unthinkable journey. More to follow. I convey you each from the bottommost of my heart."

Founded successful Seattle successful 1990, the Vedder-fronted unit began their emergence to fame a twelvemonth aboriginal alongside the genre they helped motorboat into the mainstream: grunge. Cameron was besides an aboriginal fig successful the euphony space; he played with rockers Soundgarden from 1986 to 1997, and past again starting successful 2010, simultaneously drumming successful some groups until Soundgarden's breakup successful 2017.

Upon joining Pearl Jam successful 1998, helium became the 5th drummer for a set that had already released 5 workplace albums, pursuing a four-year tenure by Red Hot Chili Peppers' erstwhile drummer Jack Irons. Before that, determination were stints by Dave Abbruzzese, Matt Chamberlain and archetypal drummer Dave Krusen.

But Cameron was by acold Pearl Jam's longest-serving percussionist. After archetypal arriving arsenic a impermanent replacement, helium added much-needed stableness to the rapidly shifting lineup and has been their sole workplace drummer since 2000's Binaural. Cameron became specified a staple, he and Krusen (who performed connected the band's archetypal and astir palmy album, Ten) were the lone 2 drummers inducted alongside the different halfway members for the band's introduction successful the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

That led to a terse connection from Abbruzzese, who was infamously fired successful 1994 aft a bid of disagreements, including implicit their highly publicized struggle with Ticketmaster. After claiming the set misrepresented his departure by initially saying it was amicable, helium called his exclusion from the Hall of Fame a "slap successful the face."

Cameron just finished a circuit with the set supporting their 12th workplace album, Dark Matter. He volition besides beryllium inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame arsenic a subordinate of Soundgarden astatine a ceremonial scheduled for November of this year. 

"He has propelled the past 27 years of Pearl Jam unrecorded shows and workplace recordings. It was a profoundly important section for our radical and we privation him good always. He volition beryllium profoundly missed and is everlastingly our person successful creation and music."