Pearl Jam Teases New Drummer Reveal for Ohana Festival

When Pearl Jam announced their plans to headline the 10th annual Ohana Festival earlier this month, fans were immediately met with a lingering question: Who will be behind the drum kit? The band has remained largely silent regarding a permanent replacement following the departure of longtime drummer Matt Cameron last year.

However, in a recent interview on SiriusXM’s Pearl Jam Radio, guitarist Stone Gossard provided the strongest indication yet that the search is over. While he stopped short of naming the new member, he confirmed that the band is prepared to make the official introduction when they take the stage at Ohana on September 27.

“There’s not enough mystery in the world,” Gossard said during the broadcast. “I think the band is very excited that we’re actually getting to play. It’s been a while and the fact that we get to do it at Ohana makes it even doubly exciting. And the fact that nobody knows who’s going to play drums with us even makes it triply exciting. So, it’s our mystery wrapped in an enigma and we’re relishing in it right now.”

The band has been careful to manage expectations regarding the transition. In a February interview with Rolling Stone, Eddie Vedder spoke about the group’s internal process, noting, “We’re in the lab, we’re woodshedding, excited. It’s cool to think of change. As much as we’d like to have done it the way we did it forever — and we’ll still be able to do that thing — I think we’re all just excited for the future.”

Despite the optimism, confusion persisted earlier this spring. In April, guitarist Mike McCready told American Songwriter that the band was still actively searching, stating, “We’ve just got to find a new drummer, you know? We don’t have one.”

Speculation had previously centered on original drummer Dave Krusen, who famously returned for a one-off performance in 2022 when Cameron was sidelined by Covid. However, Krusen quickly quelled those rumors via a social media comment, confirming that the band had already secured a new permanent drummer.

Whether the band chooses to reveal the identity of their new percussionist before the festival or keeps the secret until the lights go down at Ohana remains to be seen. For now, the mystery continues to build anticipation for their return to the stage.